Police arrest Louisville man near scene of I-65 'road rage' incident that left 6-year-old shot in the back

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Police arrested a Louisville man who they said was found with a gun near the scene of a road rage shooting that ended with a 6-year-old girl shot in the back.

According to court documents, 33-year-old Jonathan Rivera was arrested by the Louisville Metro Police Department on Tuesday afternoon.

He has not been charged in connection with the shooting of the 6-year-old.

On Monday night, police were investigating an alleged road rage incident between a vehicle and three motorcycles that spanned an 8-mile stretch of Interstate 65 North, from the Outer Loop to Woodbine Street.

Police said all along that stretch, at least 15 rounds were fired from at least three different weapons.

Police said the vehicle and the motorcycles continued down the highway, where another altercation happened on the off-ramp to University Boulevard. More shots were fired at the vehicle, which was hit several times.

That's when the 6-year-old girl was hit. Police said that girl, the daughter of the driver of the vehicle, was shot in the back. He said she was taken to the Norton Children's Hospital for surgery. As of Tuesday afternoon, she was in critical but stable condition.

According to court documents, while police were investigating at the scene, they made contact with Rivera. Police said he had a handgun in his waistband, and that handgun matched several shell casings at the scene.

Rivera is a convicted felon who is not supposed to be in possession of a handgun.

He was charged with possession of a handgun by a convicted felon. He has not been charged in connection with the shooting of the 6-year-old.

A spokesman for LMPD said the agency's Non-Fatal Shooting Squad was "continuing to work to identify what his role was in Monday night's shooting incident."

Anyone who was on the road at the time and may have witnessed either incident is asked to call LMPD's anonymous Crime Tip Line at 502-574-LMPD (5673). Tips can also be submitted on the department's Crime Tip Portal by clicking here.

This story may be updated.

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