Roundup: Passenger killed in Highway 126 crash, road rage gunfire, more news

Gunfire damaged the rear window of a victim's vehicle during an alleged road rage incident on Highway 118 on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, the California Highway Patrol reported.
Gunfire damaged the rear window of a victim's vehicle during an alleged road rage incident on Highway 118 on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, the California Highway Patrol reported.

Here's a roundup of recent incidents and announcements from Ventura County agencies:

Passenger killed in 126 crash

SANTA PAULA — A single-car crash on eastbound Highway 126 west of Santa Paula Monday night killed a 32-year-old man and seriously injured the driver, authorities said.

The accident was reported shortly before 9:45 p.m. west of Briggs Road, according to the California Highway Patrol.

More: Here are all the unsolved Ventura County homicide cases from 2021

A woman, 30, was driving a 2015 Dodge Dart eastbound when, for unknown reasons, the car ran off the right side of the highway and hit a tree, CHP officials reported.

The woman and her passenger, both described as Santa Paula residents, were taken by ambulance to a hospital, where the man was pronounced dead. The woman was hospitalized with major injuries, authorities said. No update on her condition was available Tuesday.

Anyone who saw the accident or who has information is asked to call the CHP's Ventura office at 805-662-2640.

Road rage gunfire on 118

SIMI VALLEY — A road rage incident involving gunfire on Highway 118 last week led to the felony arrest of a Canoga Park man, officials said.

The shooting was reported shortly after 7 a.m. Friday on the westbound highway near Rocky Peak Road, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Road rage broke out between two men driving westbound. The victim, 43, was exiting the freeway at Rocky Peak in a Ford Escape. The suspect, 45, allegedly fired a single shot from his black Toyota Camry, hitting the left rear window of the victim's Ford, authorities said.

After hearing the window shatter, the victim got back on the freeway and followed the suspect's Camry. Both vehicles got off at Kuehner Drive in Simi Valley, where the victim called 911.

Westbound lanes of Highway 118 near Rocky Peak Road were closed as California Highway Patrol officials investigated a road-rage shooting on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022.
Westbound lanes of Highway 118 near Rocky Peak Road were closed as California Highway Patrol officials investigated a road-rage shooting on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022.

Simi Valley police pulled over the suspect's car on Larch Street and detained the driver. Officials from the CHP's Moorpark office then took over the investigation.

The suspect reportedly threw the gun from his vehicle after firing it, but CHP investigators found the weapon while retracing his route.

No injuries were reported.

The Canoga Park man was arrested and has since been charged by the Ventura County District Attorney's Office with two firearms-related felonies and misdemeanor destroying evidence. He pleaded not guilty during an initial court hearing Tuesday afternoon, court records showed, and his bail was lowered from $510,000 to $200,000.

More local news: 1 dead, 1 hospitalized after shooting at Simi Valley residence

Alleged wrong-way driver pleads not guilty

VENTURA — The defendant in a wrong-way crash on Highway 101 that killed an 18-year-old Ojai man was released from custody after appearing in court on Monday.

Jesus Manuel Calles, 29, pleaded not guilty to charges of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, felony DUI and being an unlicensed driver during Monday's arraignment. He also denied several special enhancements, including DUI causing serious injuries to more than one victim.

The charges stem from an early morning head-on collision on Dec. 18 on the northbound freeway in Ventura, where Calles was allegedly driving southbound in the northbound lanes, according to the California Highway Patrol. The victim, Juan Jesus Morales, 18, was driving back to Ojai from a screening of "Spider-Man: No Way Home" with his cousin, Daniel Morales, also 18. The crash killed Juan and seriously injured Daniel.

Calles was also hospitalized and was later booked into county jail after being discharged from the hospital.

During Monday's hearing, Calles' attorney sought bail reduction, but the request was denied and bail was kept at $100,000.

On Tuesday, Calles was released on bond, according to online jail records. He is next scheduled for an early disposition conference at 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 7 in room 12 of Ventura County Superior Court.

Jeremy Childs is a breaking news and public safety reporter covering the night shift for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached by calling 805-437-0208 or emailing jeremy.childs@vcstar.com. You can also find him on Twitter @Jeremy_Childs.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Roundup: Fatal Highway 126 crash, road rage shooting, more news