Livermore man, 70, arrested in alleged road-rage shooting

John Sayer, 70, of Livermore was arrested on suspicion of assault with a firearm and shooting at an occupied vehicle after a road rage incident on Sunday May 15, 2016. John Sayer, 70, of Livermore was arrested on suspicion of assault with a firearm and shooting at an occupied vehicle after a road rage incident on Sunday May 15, 2016. Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Livermore man, 70, arrested in alleged road-rage shooting 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

A 70-year-old Livermore man was arrested in his home with seven guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition after he shot at another car along Interstate 5 in a weekend road rage incident, authorities said.

John Sayer was booked into the Fresno County Jail on suspicion of assault with a firearm and shooting at an occupied vehicle but released after he posted bond, according to a statement from the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.

The incident began around 9 a.m. Sunday when a 40-year-old man driving north on Interstate 5 near the Highway 198 intersection saw Sayer in a Toyota Camry weaving in and out of traffic.

Soon Sayer got behind the man’s car and started tailgating, authorities said. Sayer passed the man, then the man passed Sayer.

That’s when Sayer changed lanes and began to drive alongside the victim with his driver’s window down. The man in the other car heard a loud banging noise, which authorities later confirmed was the sound of a bullet striking his car.

The victim started chasing after Sayer and used his cell phone to video the car’s license plate. Soon after, a California Highway Patrol officer pulled over the victim for speeding. He explained he was trying to chase after a man who may have shot his car, authorities said.

The officer found a bullet hole in the car’s passenger door, deputies said. The victim gave the officer a description of the shooter and his cell phone video of the car, which the officer passed along to Fresno County Sheriff’s detectives.

A run of the license plate led detectives to Sayer. Livermore Police officers arrested him at his home on the 1400 block of Fifth Street in Livermore. Fresno County Sheriff’s detectives arrived and served a search warrant at the home. They recovered three handguns, three assault rifles and a sniper rifle, along with the ammunition.

Sayer had no prior criminal history and all of the guns were legally registered, authorities said.

Anyone with more information on the ongoing investigation was asked to call Fresno County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Center at (559) 600-3111 or Valley Crime Stoppers at (559) 498-7867, with the option to remain anonymous.

Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: JennaJourno