Arrest Made in Two Palomar Mountain Shootings, After Stargazer Targetted
A man has been arrested in connection with two shootings on Palomar Mountain, including a February incident in which a stargazer was targeted near the summit.
According to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office, Ricardo Berron, 46, of Chula Vista, was taken into custody March 10 at San Diego International Airport. The most recent incident occurred February 23 on South Grade Road near the summit, where a victim parked roadside was approached by a man who fired a single round through the driver’s side window. The victim was not injured.
That shooting was linked by investigators to an earlier incident on October 6, 2025, in which a different victim was shot in the arm. A subsequent search warrant at Berron’s Chula Vista home turned up a 9mm handgun believed connected to at least one of the shootings.
Berron was booked into Vista Detention Facility on two counts of assault with a deadly weapon. He was no longer in custody as of the following day. The investigation is ongoing.
Palomar Mountain — a destination for camping, hiking, stargazing, and off-roading — draws visitors year-round. Sheriff’s officials have not released any information about a suspected motive.
