A Cathedral City man was arrested Friday, Aug. 7, on suspicion of brandishing a firearm during a road rage incident in Moreno Valley, authorities said.
Riverside County sheriff's deputies arrested Germaine Wade Murphy, 33, during a traffic stop in the the 34-000 block of Gateway Drive in Palm Desert. He was taken into custody without incident.
Deputies began investigating the incident July 31 and later identified Murphy after obtaining a description of his vehicle, Sgt. Rafael Victorio said in a press release. The release did not specify when or where in Moreno Valley the road rage incident happened.
Deputies later served a search warrant at Murphy's home in the 37-000 block of Bankside Drive in Cathedral City, where they found "articles of evidentiary
value," though it's not clear what was recovered.
Murphy was booked into the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning on suspicion of violating probation and possessing ammunition as a convicted felon.
Investigators also learned Murphy had previously been convicted over a road rage incident that "resulted in traumatic injury," Victorio said without elaboration. The nature of that incident was not immediately clear.
Riverside County court records show Murphy was convicted in 2017 of carrying a loaded firearm that was not registered to him. He was sentenced to 150 days in county jail and three years of probation.
More recently, he was convicted in April 2025 of felony elder abuse for an offense that occurred in July 2024. He admitted to personally inflicting great bodily injury. Murphy was sentenced to 180 days in county jail and two years of probation. He completed a home detention program with an ankle monitor in February 2026. Other prior charges against him, including illegal firearm possession by a felon, assault resulting in great bodily injury and assault with a gun, were dismissed.
He is scheduled to appear in court Aug. 11 at the Riverside Hall of Justice, according to jail records. The investigation remains ongoing.
Jennifer Cortez covers education and breaking news in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at jennifer.cortez@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Cathedral City man accused of brandishing gun in road rage incident
