PALM DESERT, CA — A man was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of carrying out a road rage assault while under the influence of drugs and alcohol in Palm Desert, police said.
Mitchel Wichter, 42, of Palm Desert, was arrested on Thursday after fleeing the scene of a collision, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release.
At 4:40 p.m., deputies were sent to investigate a “road rage” incident near the intersection of Highway 111 and El Paseo Drive. Witnesses told deputies that a verbal argument had broken out between two drivers just before the driver of a Toyota Tacoma “intentionally” rammed a Chevy Impala with his truck, inflicting significant damage to both cars.
The Tacoma driver, later identified as Wichter, fled the scene before police got there. During a search of the area, police found Wichter at a home in the Desert Falls Country Club, where he reportedly surrendered to authorities and was taken into custody.
Neither driver was injured in the crash but police determined that Wichter was under the influence of drugs and alcohol at the time of the collision. He was booked into the John Benoit Detention Center for assault with a deadly weapon and driving under the influence.
No further details were immediately available.
Anyone with information regarding the incident was urged to contact Deputy Creiglow at the Palm Desert Station at 760–836–1600.
