Southland Freeway Shootings Top 100 Over The Last Month

SANTA ANA, CA — With the spate of pellet or BB gun freeway shootings topping 100 in the Southland Tuesday, pressure is mounting on authorities to catch the culprits.

The latest shootings Tuesday occured in Orange and Riverside Counties. The shootings have claimed countless windshields and windows, but no one has been seriously injured in the shootings. The mounting number of attacks, however, have triggered widespread worry from Los Angeles to Riverside where the shootings have been concentrated. CHP officials are asking drivers to stay vigilant and to report anything suspicious. Authorities don't yet know if all the shootings are linked or if copycats are to blame for some of them.

CHP investigators have implored victims to call authorities right away because it can help locate where and when these cases are happening, using clues found by checking Caltrans cameras along the freeways. The CHP has boosted patrols on local freeways and may be a short distance away and have a better chance of capturing a potential suspect if the call is made right away.

It is unclear how many perpetrators there are and what types of cars they're driving, though white sedans were spotted in attacks earlier this month in Corona.

In the latest incidents, one vehicle was damaged about 6 a.m. on the southbound Costa Mesa (55) north of Fourth Street in Santa Ana and another shooting occurred about 7 a.m. on the Santa Ana (5) Freeway in Irvine, said California Highway Patrol Officer John DeMatteo. In the latter incident, the motorist did not call it in until about an hour later, so it's unclear where exactly it happened, he said.

Another shooting happened just after 8 a.m. on the westbound Riverside (91) Freeway, blowing out the driver's window.

No specific descriptions of the cars or suspects have been provided by the CHP.

"We are taking each of these incidents seriously and actively searching for those responsible," CHP Border Division Assistant Chief Donald Goodbrand said last week. "The public should still feel safe while driving their vehicles on our California freeways."

CHP Officer Florentino Olivera said one CHP officer's cruiser recently sustained a damaged window on the eastbound 91 at the 241 Tollway in the Anaheim Hills that could possibly be part of the crime spree.

"An officer was finishing up an enforcement stop and completing notes on the citation when he heard a noise and the back window was shattered. There were big rigs going by at the same time," so it might have been a rock that caused the damage, Olivera said. "We're not sure what shattered the window."

Anyone with information about the shootings was asked to call the CHP Border Division Investigative Services Unit at 714-288-6336.

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