NEWARK — A Santa Clara man has pleaded not guilty to charges he allegedly shot another man Aug. 12 in a road rage-related confrontation on Highway 84, according to authorities and court documents.
The suspect, Stefan Mercado, 24, was arrested after California Highway Patrol investigators were provided key information by witnesses, including one who provided images of Mercado’s vehicle and its license plate, according to court documents.
Mercado pleaded not guilty Aug. 19 to felony charges of attempted murder, assault with a firearm and carrying a loaded firearm in public. Mercado, who was arrested Aug. 14, is free on what court documents said was $600,000 bail; he was scheduled for a preliminary examination on Friday.
The shooting happened about 5:28 p.m. Aug. 12 on state Highway 84 west of Interstate 880.
The California Highway Patrol responded to a report of a two-vehicle collision. No vehicles were found, but a hospital contacted the CHP, saying a man with a gunshot wound had come to the facility. Investigators determined the man was the victim in the shooting and had driven himself to the hospital.
According to court documents, a witness said both the man shot and Mercado had been driving Teslas on the highway and “had been playing chicken” in a road-rage fashion before both vehicles stopped on the highway. Authorities said the two men did not know each other.
Another witness told the CHP that after the vehicles stopped, Mercado threw a metal object at the other Tesla, hitting its rear windshield.
The man who ended up being shot got out of his vehicle and approached Mercado’s, witnesses said. He was at the driver’s side acting in a confrontational manner when Mercado opened his door and allegedly shot him, the documents say.
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Both vehicles then drove off but the first witness was able to photograph Mercado’s vehicle and its license plate, which were provided to the CHP, the documents say.
Detectives from the CHP Golden Gate Division Special Investigations Unit took over the case and were able to quickly identify Mercado as the primary suspect, authorities said. The man shot was able to identify him in a photo lineup, the documents say.
Mercado was arrested the evening of Aug. 14 by Palo Alto police officers who saw him driving in their city. After the arrest, the CHP served a search warrant at Mercado’s home, where detectives located the pistol used in the shooting, authorities said.
CHP Golden Gate Division Chief Don Goodbrand said: “Our detectives’ swift work has once again led to the arrest of a dangerous criminal who chose to endanger the public by engaging in gun violence on our freeways.”
