San Bernardino Police Say 50-100 Residents Had Car Windows Shot With BB Gun Since Early January
SAN BERNARDINO (CBSLA) - The hunt is on for someone who's been targeting cars with a BB gun in the Inland Empire, where police said there have been dozens of reports of shootings since early this month.
Police said someone has been driving down residential streets in San Bernardino all month long, shooting at parked cars with a BB gun, racking up expensive bills for owners of the cars.
One victim, identified only as Mr. Jackson because he fears retaliation, said the bill for his window replacement will cost him around $250.
"...that's something we don't have at this pandemic time," Jackson said.
While Mr. Jackson said he's concerned about speaking out, he added that he's more concerned about whoever did this to his daughter's car, and what they're capable of doing next.
"Yeah, it could turn into not just a BB gun, but maybe a higher ammunition of gun," he said.
Sgt. Equino Thomas with the San Bernardino Police Department said he's also worried the situation could escalate.
"Maybe a homeowner or some vehicle owner is going to see somebody doing this, confront them and potentially get injured," he said.
Investigators with SBPD said they see a pattern.
They estimate that somewhere between 50 and 100 people in the same area have had their cars hit with BB's. All of the shooting happened north of the 210 Freeway and east of the 215 Freeway in San Bernardino, all on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Witnesses believe that a dark sedan caught on camera might be the suspect's car.
"We're encouraging any victim of these crimes, that you might of thought, 'Oh, it's not a big deal. It's probably a kid doing a prank or something,' to report it," Sgt. Thomas said.
The BB gun shooting spree feels like déjà vu for victims here in the Inland Empire. Last year, over a hundred drivers on the 91 Freeway had their car windows blown out by BB's. It went on for over two months, until that suspect was caught.
"...didn't feel right that this is happening in our neighborhood, first of all, and having this be sort of a repeat thing that happened on the 91 Freeway," Jackson said. "We're taking that into consideration that it might be someone that's a copycat."
