A 42-year-old motorist accused of shooting and wounding another driver during a road rage confrontation on the Riverside (91) Freeway was charged Wednesday with attempted murder and other offenses.
Maurice Orlando Stells Jr. of Moreno Valley was arrested Monday following a weeklong California Highway Patrol investigation.
Along with attempted murder, Stells is charged with firearm assault resulting in great bodily injury and shooting at an occupied vehicle, as well as sentence-enhancing gun use allegations.
The defendant, who is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Robert Presley Jail, was slated to make his initial court appearance Wednesday afternoon at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
“The California Highway Patrol aggressively investigates all crimes occurring on the freeways and has highly trained investigators, who work tirelessly to locate and apprehend violent criminals,” CHP Capt. Erich Meeker said. “Acts such as these will not be tolerated and will be investigated and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
According to the CHP, on the night of Dec. 14, Stells was involved in an unspecified dispute with another driver along the westbound 91 near downtown Riverside.
Officer Javier Navarro said the defendant was at the wheel of a blue Chevrolet Camaro, traveling at an unconfirmed speed, and allegedly opened fire on the victim, whose identity was not disclosed, unleashing “an unknown number of rounds” before racing away.
The victim was struck by at least one bullet but managed to pull over safely and call for help. He was reportedly taken to a Riverside hospital and underwent surgery, from which he’s recovering.
Navarro said detectives soon developed leads pointing to Stells as the alleged perpetrator.
The defendant was summoned to the Riverside CHP office for an interview with investigators, culminating in his uneventful arrest Monday afternoon.
He has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.