Southland Freeway Shootings Prompt CHP Investigation

CERRITOS, CA — Authorities Thursday are investigating a recent series of BB or pellet gun shootings that damaged several vehicles across Southland freeways. Another one occurred Thursday morning in the Cerritos area.

Though there is no evidence the shootings are connected, they rattled the public. Shattered windows and tales of terrified drivers in the Inland Empire and Los Angeles and Orange Counties have made headlines since April, and each case is being investigated according to the CHP.

"We're still trying to figure out if they are pellet guns or just a shattered widow," said CHP Officer Amber Wright.

The latest shooting happened at 6:53 a.m. Thursday on the westbound Artesia (91) Freeway near Norwalk Boulevard, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Another shooting was reported Wednesday night, also on the 91 Freeway in Cerritos, in which a white sedan was left with several dozen holes and dents in its hood and windshield, according to CBS2.

The driver, Michael Hernandez, told Channel 2 he saw a flash before hearing his windshield crack. Hernandez said he believed his car was hit by a BB or pellet a couple of months ago as well.

On Tuesday, a possible BB or pellet gun shooting was reported in Downey that damaged several windows on a double-deck bus taking Verbum Dei High School soccer players and staff from Los Angeles, Channel 2 reported.

The bus was going east on the 105 Freeway, west of Paramount Boulevard, in the carpool lane about 4 p.m. Tuesday when an upper deck passenger told the driver a window had been shattered.

When the bus arrived in Santa Fe Springs, the driver called 911 after seeing three of the windows had been damaged. CHP investigators say the damage was consistent with a BB or pellet-type gun.

Many of the shootings have occurred in the Inland Empire, including one that happened about two hours after the bus was shot at in Downey. The driver of a van reported having his windows shattered after being shot as he drove on the 91 Freeway in Riverside. That shooting was followed about an hour later by another incident, also on the 91 Freeway, at Tyler Avenue.

It was not known if the shootings involved the same suspect. Descriptions of the shooter have varied, and authorities were trying to determine whether the shots were fired from a moving vehicle.

Over a two-day period in April drivers reported an early morning freeway shooting in Downtown Los Angeles and an afternoon shooting on the San Diego Freeway Los Angeles/Orange county line.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.