Make California Post a Preferred Source An Orange County man’s disfigured face has been revealed after he allegedly shot a man during a road rage incident — as police revealed critical details about the crime.
Santa Ana police told the California Post that 24-year-old Jesse Vega allegedly shot a 49-year-old man after the victim, who was allegedly the initial aggressor, started a physical confrontation.
Santa Ana Public Information Officer Natalie Garcia told The Post that Vega, driving a Honda Civic, and the victim, driving a GMC Sierra truck, came to a stop in the area of First Street and Lyon Street.
The victim then allegedly exited his truck and approached Vega, and they began fighting, according to Garcia. Garcia claims that Vega then appears to shoot the middle-aged victim in “self-defense.”
Vega then took off in his car before officers arrested him with the help of license-plate readers. His vehicle has been impounded as evidence.
He was taken in on suspicion of assault with a firearm. Garcia said Vega could have been charged with attempted murder but wasn’t, considering the circumstances.
The cause of the argument is unknown, Garcia said.
“(We) don’t know the details of what caused the argument,” she told the OC Register. “But I’m assuming [it’s] traffic related.”
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office will ultimately decide if Vega or the victim is charged, Garcia said.
Officers found the shooting victim suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to his lower extremities.
Santa Ana police said the man was hospitalized in critical condition, but his condition has since stabilized.
Homicide detectives from the Santa Ana Police Department are investigating the incident.
A search conducted by The Post using the Orange County Inmate Information System does not yield Vega’s name as an inmate in custody.
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