A 42-year-old Victorville man was arrested on suspicion of multiple offenses after a road rage confrontation at a local gas station led deputies to a home stocked with illegal firearms, including an unserialized AR-15-style rifle. Eric McCovery was arrested following the investigation, which began with a dispute on La Mesa Road and ended with a search warrant served at a residence in the 14000 block of Showhorse Lane.
According to the Victor Valley News Group, deputies with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department responded on October 4 to a road rage incident on La Mesa Road in Victorville. Investigators say McCovery, driving a black Jaguar, became involved in an altercation with another motorist and followed that driver to a nearby gas station, where he allegedly brandished a firearm during the confrontation. Authorities say McCovery left the area before deputies arrived.
Investigators later identified McCovery as the suspect and obtained a search warrant for the Showhorse Lane residence. Deputies served that warrant on October 8, recovering two unregistered handguns along with an unlawfully manufactured AR-15-style rifle that lacked a serial number, the outlet reports.
A Felon Barred From Owning Any Firearm
Investigators say McCovery was a convicted felon who was legally prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition of any kind. He was booked into the High Desert Detention Center on October 8 on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and possession of ammunition by a prohibited person. The Victorville Police Department is handling the investigation. The department operates as the sheriff's department's first contract city station out of its Amargosa Road facility, covering a little more than 74 square miles and approximately 115,000 residents, per the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.
Under California Penal Code Section 29800(a)(1), a convicted felon found with a firearm faces a lifetime state prohibition on gun ownership, with felony penalties ranging from 16 months to three years in state prison and fines up to $10,000, according to the Shouse Law Group. McCovery is accused of assault with a deadly weapon.
An Unserialized Rifle Raises Separate Legal Exposure
The AR-15-style rifle recovered from the Showhorse Lane home adds another layer of potential liability. Some provisions of Assembly Bill 1621 took effect June 30, 2022, establishing restrictions on the sale, transfer and manufacture of firearms, licensing, and precursor parts, according to the Giffords Law Center. The dossier notes it remains an open question whether additional charges tied specifically to the unserialized rifle will be filed.
McCovery's underlying felony conviction history has not been disclosed, and his bail status at the detention facility was not specified. The High Desert Detention Center, a county facility on Commerce Way in Adelanto with approximately 1,600 beds, books arrests from Victorville police and several other agencies, according to CityWide.
Part of a Broader Pattern Across the High Desert
McCovery's arrest fits a pattern of traffic disputes unraveling into weapons seizures across San Bernardino County. On October 1, Hesperia gang investigators arrested a 49-year-old convicted felon during a traffic stop on Bear Valley Road after finding a loaded handgun and ammunition in his vehicle, a road that connects directly into Victorville, according to VVNG. In August, a California Highway Patrol investigation into an Interstate 10 road rage gun-pointing incident near Redlands led to the seizure of 20 illegal firearms, 20,000 rounds of ammunition, and gun-milling equipment from a Yucaipa resident's home.
Nationally, Everytown Research found that an average of one person was killed or wounded in a road rage shooting every 18 hours in the United States in 2023. In McCovery's case, authorities recovered both handguns and a rifle.
The case also follows other recent Victorville-area gun arrests, including an incident involving a 38-year-old Victorville man.
How to Report Information
Anyone with information about the case is encouraged to contact the Victorville Police Department at (760) 241-2911 or sheriff's dispatch at (760) 956-5001. Anonymous tipsters can also call or text the We-Tip hotline at (844) 909-3006 or submit information through the We-Tip website.
