Man arrested for van-to-car shooting

Allegedly fired shot at another vehicle on North Beale Road

A Rio Linda man was arrested Monday for allegedly shooting at another vehicle last month in Linda and causing it to crash, then fleeing the scene.

Just after 11 p.m. on Nov. 6, two vehicles traveling on North Beale Road entered into an unknown confrontation on the roadway. During the confrontation, one passenger in a silver van allegedly fired a shot at the second vehicle, a gray Pontiac G6 occupied by two males and a female.

“Nobody was struck with the bullet, but the victim vehicle ended up in a ditch as it tried to leave the confrontation following the shot fired,” said Leslie Carbah, spokeswoman for the Yuba County Sheriff’s Office. “Airbags deployed in the victim vehicle and the female driver suffered an injured hand in the wreck.”

The van got away. Over the following weeks, detectives investigated the incident, leading to the identification of one suspect – Gerald Donte Valencia, 26, of Rio Linda.

Detectives located Valencia in Linda on Monday around 2:40 p.m. They conducted a traffic stop in the 1800 block of Hile Avenue and took the suspect into custody on suspicion of assault with a firearm.

Law enforcement also reportedly located a loaded revolver that had been stolen out of Sacramento under the suspect’s seat at the time of the arrest. Misdemeanor offenses for receiving stolen property, possession of a controlled substance and concealing a firearm in a vehicle were added to Valencia’s charges.

Valencia was booked into Yuba County Jail. Bail was set at $75,000. Business hours: Monday-friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.