LAKE COUNTY – The Lake County Sheriff's Office offered new details on Thursday regarding an alleged case of road rage the day before that landed a Ukiah businessman in jail.

Gas station owner Sukhbir Singh, 36, was arrested Wednesday after allegedly shooting a .22 caliber pistol at Clearlake Oaks resident Bruce Hutchins, 47, on Highway 20 in Clearlake Oaks, as Lake County News has reported.

Capt. James Bauman reported that Hutchins used his cell phone to call 911 to report the incident at about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The call was received by the California Highway Patrol. Bauman said Hutchins 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 suspect.

About 20 minutes after the initial report, the suspect vehicle was spotted by Deputy Steve Herdt, who was traveling westbound on Highway 20 in Upper Lake. Herdt stopped the vehicle and detained Singh without incident. The weapon, a .22 caliber revolver, was recovered at the scene of the car stop, said Bauman.

Hutchins, who had been traveling about quarter-mile ahead of Singh, returned to the area of the detention and positively identified Singh as the shooter in the incident, Bauman said.

Bauman said that Hutchins told deputies he had pulled out onto Highway 20 from the Clearlake Oaks Post Office and as he drove westbound, Singh drove up behind him and started tailgating him. Hutchins gestured at Singh with his finger and Singh gestured back.

Singh then passed Hutchins, slowed down, and started weaving back and forth in front of Hutchins, said Bauman. Singh then 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. Bauman said that 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 911 and eventually saw Singh traveling behind him again until they reached Upper Lake where Singh was stopped by deputies, Bauman said.

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 were injured as a result of the incident, Bauman said.

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