Arrest Made In BB Gun Shooting; Connection To String Of Similar Shootings Across SoCal Under Investigation
RIVERSIDE (CBSLA) — A man arrested on suspicion of shooting a BB gun on the 91 Freeway is being investigated in connection with the rash of similar shootings in LA, Orange, and Riverside counties.
Late Tuesday, CHP investigators, with the assistance of officers from the Riverside Police Department arrested Jesse Leal Rodriguez, 34, of Anaheim, for his suspected involvement in the recent shootings on SR-91.
Rodriguez was booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside on charges of assault with a deadly weapon and is being held on $750,000 bail.
At approximately 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, the CHP Riverside Area received multiple calls of vehicles with their windows being shot out in the area of State Route 91 and Tyler Street, officers said.
Based on the information provided by the victims of these shootings, officers located the suspect vehicle and arrested the driver.
The vehicle has been impounded, but it's not known if any weapons were found inside.
Police are still trying to determine if the driver is responsible for the string of BB and pellet gun shootings that have plagued Southern California freeways over the past month. None of the shootings have resulted in serious injuries, but more than 100 vehicles have been damaged and drivers throughout the region are on edge.
Ashley Bravo's vehicle was hit Tuesday night as she drove through Anaheim. A BB lodged itself in the glass of her passenger window.
"We just hear like a big pop and just checked in the back to see if my son was OK," she said.
The CHP is leading the investigation into all the shootings. It's not known if the shootings are the work of multiple people.
At least one more BB or pellet gun shooting after Tuesday night's arrest.