Anaheim BB gun freeway shooter facing several murder charges

RIVERSIDE – Three counts of attempted murder have been filed against an Anaheim man in connection with firing a BB gun at a moving vehicle, District Attorney Mike Hestrin announced today, May 28, 2021.

“Shooting at moving vehicles with a BB gun or pellet gun while traveling at high speed on our roads or freeways is incredibly dangerous,” Hestrin said. “Shooting out windows of cars could easily startle drivers in traffic and cause a major accident. We are all relieved that no one was seriously injured by these crimes.”

Jesse Leal Rodriguez, DOB: 12-27-86, has been charged by the DA’s Office in case RIF2102128 with three counts of attempted murder and three counts of assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury. The counts involve three occupants in a vehicle shot at on May 25, 2021.

Rodriguez is scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday, June 1, 2021, as Monday is a holiday. This will be a video arraignment and the defendant will not be in the courtroom. If convicted as currently charged, Rodriguez faces a potential maximum sentence of 15 years plus 42 years to life in prison.

Around 1:30 p.m. on May 25, a Tesla was shot at with a BB gun in the area of Hamner Avenue and Hidden Valley Parkway in Norco. Captured on the vehicle’s video system at the time the vehicle’s window was shot out was a maroon Chevrolet Trailblazer. The incident was reported to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department which then notified CHP. There were two passengers with the driver of the Tesla, with all three being victims in this case.

Based on the vehicle description provided by witnesses, CHP officers, assisted by Riverside police, pulled over a maroon Chevrolet Trailblazer about 9:30 p.m. in a shopping center parking lot in the area of Magnolia and Tyler avenues.

The driver, Rodriguez, was arrested and a BB gun, BBs, and other related items were found in his vehicle.

There have been at least 50 incidents reported to law enforcement of vehicles shot at by a BB or pellet gun along the Highway 91 corridor in Riverside County since the middle of April. There also have been several dozen more incidents reported in Orange and Los Angeles counties.

While the DA’s Office has filed charges related to this May 25 BB gun shooting, there are dozens more incidents still being investigated. The DA’s Office anticipates more charges could be filed in the future.

CHP officers and investigators with the DA’s Bureau of Investigation are still investigating this case which includes the review of many videos from freeway cameras and other cameras.

If anyone has additional information about these incidents or may have been a victim and not yet reported it to law enforcement, you are asked to call the CHP tip line at (714) 288-6336.