Man Charged With Attempted Murder In BB Gun Freeway Shooting In Riverside Co.
ANAHEIM (CBSLA) – A 34-year-old Anaheim man has been charged with attempted murder in connection with a BB gun shooting that shattered the windows of a Tesla in Riverside County earlier this week.
Jesse Leal Rodriguez was charged Friday with three counts each of attempted murder and three counts of assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury, the Riverside County District Attorney's Office announced Friday.
California Highway Patrol is still investigating whether Rodriguez is linked to the spree of shootings in which BBs or pellets have shattered the windows of more than 100 vehicles on freeways in Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties since May 4.
More charges could be filed against Rodriguez as the investigation continues, prosecutors said.
The vast majority of the shootings have occurred on the 91 Freeway. No one has been seriously injured in any of them.
According to prosecutors, the windows of a Tesla carrying three people were shot out at about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at Hamner Avenue and Hidden Valley Parkway in Norco. Witnesses, along with the Tesla's video system, identified the suspect vehicle as a maroon Chevrolet Trailblazer.
At around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday night, a Trailblazer matching the description of the suspect vehicle was stopped by Riverside police near the Galleria at Tyler shopping mall. Its driver, Rodriguez, was taken into custody.
Investigators are unsure if Rodriguez acted alone, whether he was part of a group or whether there have been copycats.
Rodriguez will be arraigned on June 1. If convicted as charged, he faces 90 years to life in prison. Rodriguez has a prior strike conviction on his record, the DA's office said.