CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – A Clearlake man was arrested on Wednesday following an alleged road rage incident that caused the rollover of a vehicle with a child inside.
Eric Vonrenegar, 65, was arrested after the incident, according to Lt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
Just after 2:30 p.m. Wednesday a sheriff's patrol deputy was leaving the Clearlake Oaks Substation when he witnessed a vehicle rollover on Highway 20, Brooks said.
The deputy said the white sport utility vehicle came to a stop on its roof in the eastbound lane of Highway 20, near Keys Boulevard. Brooks said the deputy did not witness what caused the collision or if any other vehicles were involved.
The deputy contacted Central Dispatch and requested that the fire department respond as well as the California Highway Patrol, Brooks said.
Brooks said the deputy contacted the driver of the sport utility vehicle, who said his 4-year-old daughter was still secured in her car seat. The driver was able to remove his daughter from the vehicle, and the child did not appear to have any injuries.
Medical personnel from Northshore Fire Protection District's Station 75 arrived on scene, where Brooks said they provided medical attention to both the driver and his child.
Brooks said the SUV driver told the deputy that another vehicle had purposely struck him had caused the rollover.
The patrol deputy and CHP officers conducted interviews and obtained statements from several witnesses concerning the crash, and in the process received a description of the vehicle alleged to have caused the rollover, Brooks said.
Brooks said several witnesses said they saw an older pickup strike the victim's vehicle multiple times as they were traveling on Highway 20, eventually causing the SUV to roll over several times. Another witness said the pickup hit the SUV and kept pushing it as they were going down the road until it started to roll over.
The deputy was contacted by a CHP officer who said he had located the pickup and detained the driver, Brooks said. The deputy responded and contacted the suspect, who was identified as Vonrenegar.
Brooks said Vonrenegar denied hitting the victim with his pickup and stated, “That guy got what he deserved.”
The deputy inspected Vonrenegar’s vehicle, an older Dodge pickup with black front fenders and a white utility bed. Brooks said the deputy noticed numerous white paint chips and paint transfer on the front bumper, which appeared to be consistent with the victim’s vehicle.
Vonrenegar was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon. He was transported to the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility and booked, Brooks said.
Jail records indicated Vonrenegar remained in custody on Friday evening, with bail set at $25,000.