Bullet Narrowly Misses Woman In Fairfield Road Rage Incident
FAIRFIELD (CBS13) — A female driver was targeted and shot at over road rage on Interstate 80 on Sunday night, say police.
Things could have ended much worse for the driver after, police say, a reckless driver followed her off the highway and shot a bullet through her driver's side door. It ended up lodged in her steering wheel but didn't hit her.
Photos show the exact point of entry.
Reporting on a very disturbing case of road rage tonight. Fairfield police say a suspect followed a woman off I80 onto the Waterman Blvd exit. When she tried to get away, he fired a shot at her. It went through her drivers side door and into the steering wheel. She is ok. pic.twitter.com/oSAO9iwnTb
— Anna Twomey (@TwomeyMedia) September 14, 2021
"This could've been an extremely tragic situation," said Lt. Jausiah Jacobsen with Fairfield Police.
Fairfield police said the suspect followed her off I-80 onto the Waterman Boulevard exit then shot at her. It turns out someone reported this same suspect earlier in the day and included their full license plate number.
"[They] said that they had an individual who was driving reckless who they thought maybe was intoxicated, DUI...felt like they were being very aggressive," Lt. Jacobsen said.
Officers used the city's brand-new, just-installed camera and tracking system to pinpoint the suspect's car.
"We have 38 cameras throughout the city strategically placed to help us solve crimes and prevent crimes," Lt. Jacobsen said.
The suspect was reportedly tracked to Beck Avenue and found sitting in his car with a gun in plain sight. Officers arrested him without any issues.
Fairfield resident Terry Hamilton said he stays safe to protect his passengers.
"Now that I'm older I ignore it. I do my best to ignore it -- just let it pass," Hamilton said.
Police say that's the safest thing you can do.
"You might feel it's prudent to say something or honk your horn; be careful that might get you into something you don't want," Lt. Jacobsen said.
Police say everyone involved in this case did the right thing. Being a good witness is key: getting the license plate number and a suspect description. That's ultimately what led to a quick resolution here.