Anxiety Mounting Over East Bay Freeway Shootings
RICHMOND (CBS SF) -- Authorities continued their search Sunday for a gunman who opened fire on a California Highway Patrol officer and a motorist who had been pulled over in a traffic stop on Highway 580.
No one was injured in the shooting, but the incident and three others on Bay Area freeways last week has left many East Bay motorists shaken.
"There are certain highways I don't like being on," said Bridget Blount. "Highway 4, the 580 over by the Richmond Parkway where have been a couple shootings. It makes me very aware and alert."
Kareem Sykes agrees.
"I just think people need to be little more cautious," he said. "People need to just stop being so aggravated."
On Saturday evening in Richmond, a CHP officer was conducting a traffic stop on eastbound I-580 west of Central Avenue when a white SUV passed by and a suspect allegedly started firing shots.
The CHP said the officer was not hit, but a Ford sedan was hit by one of the bullets.
"I was just walking right here and suddenly I hear bap bap bap bap bap. At least 20 shots," said Gigi Hsu. "I saw the police officer jump into his car and chase him down the road."
A Sig-alert was issued for police activity at 7 p.m. and updated at 7:18 p.m. when all lanes were closed. All vehicles were being required to exit at Bayview Avenue on eastbound I-580. The Sig-alert was cancelled at 9:19 p.m.
"We have no reason to believe at this time that the officer was the target of the shooting," said CHP spokesperson, Officer Matthew Hamer.
On Wednesday, there were two separate freeway shootings that happened about 90 minutes apart.
The first road rage shooting happened at around 9:45 p.m. Wednesday evening on northbound Interstate 680 in Walnut Creek. CHP said things got heated between two drivers hear the Treat Boulevard exit.
"Some bottles were thrown and then the victims rear windows were shattered out," explained CHP officer Nathan Johnson. "He initially thought his window was struck by a bottle. So he drove home and then at approximately 11 o'clock, he realized there was a bullet fragment in his vehicle."
About ten miles away, more shots rang out around 11:15 p.m. on Highway 4 in Bay Point between the Chicago Highway and Willow Road off ramps. The damage from where one bullet entered the side of the red SUV was visible.
Investigators said the frightened driver did not stop his vehicle until he arrived in Antioch. The CHP said the victim exchanged a few words with the suspect through open windows, then the suspect shot at the victim's vehicle.
CHP said the driver was uninjured. Authorities later stopped traffic in the area so officers could search for shell casings and other evidence.
Wednesday night's shooting took place a short distance from a Monday night shooting on northbound Highway 4 in Bay Point near the Bailey Road exit.
No one was injured in that shooting, which also remains under investigation