CHP Investigating Two East Bay Freeway Shootings
MARTINEZ (KPIX 5) -- CHP in the East Bay on Thursday were investigating two separate freeway shootings that happened Wednesday night about 90 minutes apart, according to authorities.
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
CHP officials said both road rages cases are unrelated and no one was hurt, but these shootings follow an alarming trend of gunfire erupting on Bay Area freeways.
More than 100 freeway shootings have been investigated in the last three years. The region has been averaging about one freeway shooting a week. Investigators say the majority of the shootings are gang related.
And while local counties are pushing for the installation of more freeway cameras, CHP said there aren't cameras for the areas where these latest shootings happened.
"I just have to encourage people to not let any kind of instance escalate. If somebody cuts you off or high beams you, just keep driving normal"
CHP says they have some strong leads, but no suspect arrests at this time. Anyone with information is urged to call CHP right away.
