LAKE COUNTY ? According to a public information release from Capt. James Bauman, Public Information Officer from the Lake County Sheriff”s Office, on Wednesday, at about 2:30 p.m., the California Highway Patrol (CHP) received a wireless 9-1-1 call reporting shots fired during an apparent road rage incident on Highway 20 in Clearlake Oaks.
The victim, Bruce Hutchins, 47, of Clearlake Oaks, stayed on the phone with CHP dispatch as he and the suspect vehicle, a black Lexus sedan, continued westbound on Highway 20.
Information was relayed by CHP to the sheriff”s dispatch center as deputies responded to intercept the man suspected of shooting.
About 20 minutes after the first report, the suspect”s vehicle was spotted by a deputy traveling westbound on Highway 20 in Upper Lake and the vehicle was stopped.
The suspect, identified as Sukhbir Singh, 36, of Ukiah, was detained without incident.
The weapon, a .22 caliber revolver was recovered at the scene where the car was stopped.
Hutchins was traveling about ? mile ahead of Singh, returned to the area where the alleged shooter was and positively identified Singh as the shooter in the incident.
Hutchins told deputies he had pulled out onto Highway 20 from the Clearlake Oaks Post Office and as he drove westbound when Singh drove up behind him and started tailgating him.
Hutchins gestured at Singh with his finger and Singh gestured back.
Singh passed Hutchins, slowed down, and started weaving back and forth in front of Hutchins.
According to the release, Singh pulled off the highway, got out of his car and opened his trunk as Hutchins passed.
As Hutchins continued westbound on the highway, Singh passed him again and further down the road, pulled off onto the shoulder.
As Hutchins passed Singh”s parked vehicle, Singh got out, pointed a handgun in the air and fired one shot. Hutchins continued westbound on the highway as he called 9-1-1 and eventually saw Singh traveling behind him again until they reached Upper Lake where Singh was stopped by deputies.
Singh was arrested and booked at the Lake County Jail on a felony charge of negligent discharge of a firearm and a misdemeanor charge of brandishing a firearm.
He was released on a $10,000 bond later that evening. Hutchins and Singh did not know each other and neither party was injured as a result of the incident.
