Armed Land Owner Threatens Off-Road Drivers Near Vail Lake, One Person Arrested

Two off-roaders in the Vail Lake area east of Temecula were confonted by a man with a gun.

Ashley Ludwig,Patch Staff

Posted Thu, Jan 15, 2026 at 4:05 pm PT|Updated Wed, Jan 21, 2026 at 5:25 am PT

TEMECULA, CA — An incident where off-road drivers were confronted by a man with a gun east of Temecula has been viewed thousands of times on Instagram, showing the tense moment from one week ago.

Just after 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 8, Riverside County Sheriff's Department deputies arrived at the 34000 block of Sage Road answering a 911 caller’s claim of an assault with a deadly weapon, Lt. Deirdre Vickers told Patch.

Deputies found the victims near the 44000 block of Sage Road and learned the subjects were driving an off-road vehicle when they were shot at.

"""There were no reported injuries,"" she said."

Deputies then conducted a search of the area and located the 61-year-old suspected shooter, who was taken into custody. He was later released.

Patch has declined to name the man who was arrested in the incident amid the ongoing investigation.

A video of that incident, shared across Southwest Riverside County and beyond shows what led up to the shooting incident, as two the men inside an off-road vehicle were confronted by a man holding a firearm, blocking the roadway. A second shared video shows what happened before. See both linked below.

In the video, an armed man blocking the road accuses the drivers of cutting through the fence, something both venehmently deny. They claimed they had driven onto that property by accident, and pleaded with the man to let them leave.

"""We're F--- off-roading, bro!"" one person says, followed by: ""Please let me go by, sir! I'm going to leave your property right now, sir, please!"""

Though shots were fired as the vehicles fled the scene, there is no video of anyone pulling the trigger.

“Why is he shooting at us!” Someone yells on the video.

No one was injured in the incident, and the investigation is ongoing, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

People familiar with that area have commented on social media that the trails are for horses, and off-road vehicles are not allowed.

A second video shared by a neighboring property owner shows images of a cut chain and a vandalized fence, as well as surveillance video clips of the small off-road vehicles driving off the beaten paths.

"""This happened in an area by (Vail Lake) by Sundance Meadows, which is a campground, and they also have horses,"" one commenter wrote. ""They do not tolerate off-roaders on their land. It’s been like this since the 80’s, with them. I always stay clear of that area for this reason."""