Roadside aggression incident on Highway 210 ends with mutual deaths of two drivers in Highland, officials say

HIGHLAND, Calif. (KABC) — Two drivers have died in Highland after a shooting occurred in an apparent case of driving aggression – even though one of them had two small children in the car.

“It could have been so incredibly easy,” said Mara Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office. “Unfortunately, two people lost their lives instead.”

It started just before 8 p.m. Saturday on the 210 Freeway in Highland. A motorcyclist, 38-year-old Jonathan McConnell of Corona, was weaving between lanes and striking a sedan driven by 37-year-old Aaron Harris of Highland, authorities said.

Instead of pulling over to the side of the highway, the motorcyclist left the scene of the accident, officials say, and drove to the parking lot of Joy’s Lounge on Baseline Avenue in Highland.

The limousine driver Harris followed the motorcyclist to the parking lot. His two children, aged 2 and 5, were in the car.

“When they got to the parking lot, the man in the sedan started yelling at the motorcyclist,” Rodriguez said. “They got into a confrontation. They were both armed, and a shootout ensued, and by the end of the night, both were dead.”

Officials said another man outside the restaurant suffered a hand injury. The two small children in the back seat of the limousine were unharmed.

“We all get annoyed on the road sometimes, especially these days with so much traffic and so much going on,” Rodriguez said. “But this is a great example of how quickly things can go wrong.”

A recent data analysis has shown that California is the state with the most incidence of road rage and confrontational drivers.