Community members shocked by highway shooting spree in Monterey County
MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV)- UPDATE JULY 24 6:00 P.M.- A Culver City man was arrested on Sunday afternoon on attempted murder charges after allegedly shooting at cars on two local highways in Monterey County.
Omar Hernandez was arrested after allegedly shooting at cars on southbound Highway 101 and Highway 146 near Soledad and on southbound Highway 1 near Monastery Beach in Carmel-by-the-Sea.
Nobody was injured as a result of those shootings but news of the incident surprised beachgoers near one of the shooting locations.
Logan Nicely was one of many people at Monstery Beach who bring their families there and were surprised about the reported shooting that took place.
"We're just visiting, but we've been here before," Nicely said. "And like I said, We've never had a hint of crime or anything negative like that."
The California Highway Patrol said that Hernandez had prior warrants out for his arrest in Culver City and are still looking for a motive.
If people find themselves caught in a highway shooting, CHP Monterey Area public information officer Jessica Madueno said “Immediately call 911, we want to make sure that we put officers in the position of an area to locate this vehicle."
Culver City man arrested after allegedly being involved in two non-injury highway shootings in Monterey County
The California Highway Patrol have arrested 27-year-old Omar Hernandez of Culver City on multiple charges included attempted murder on Sunday afternoon.
The investigation started around 2:30 a.m. CHP said they received a 911 call on southbound Highway 101 and Highway 146 near Soledad from a reported party who heard a loud bang in the area. The party pulled their vehicle over only to realize that their car had been shot at on the driver's side of the car. The party told CHP that the alleged suspect was driving in a blue vehicle.
At 5:50 a.m., CHP received another call of a reported shooting that took place on Southbound Highway 1 near Monastery Beach in Carmel. The reporting party said that they heard a loud bang and when they pulled over they saw bullet holes on the hood and windshield wipers of the car.
CHP said that both reporting parties were not injured during the shooting.
Around noon, CHP said that they received multiple calls that the suspect's car matching the vehicle's description was located on Carmel Valley Road and Del Fino Place in Carmel Valley.
At 12:57 p.m., a CHP King City officer located the vehicle on Arroyo Seco Road with Hernandez inside a Blue Subaru with a dog inside.
CHP Monterey waited for air support and initiated an enforcement stop on northbound U.S. Highway 101 from Arroyo Seco Road. Hernandez did not comply and a pursuit was initiated.
CHP said they chased the car for more than an hour when they were able to deploy two spike strips on Highway 101 which deflated all four tires on the Blue Subaru.
At some point during the chase, Hernandez opened the passenger door to let the dog out of the car and onto the Highway. CHP was able to rescue the dog safely.
The chase ended on northbound Highway 101 and Gould Road just outside of Salinas. Hernandez surrendered without any conflict and a black hand gun was recovered within the vehicle.
Hernandez was booked into the Monterey County Jail on multiple charges including attempted murder and evading a police officer. He did have an active warrant in Culver City where he resides.
CHP believes that the Hernandez acted alone during these shootings and are still investigating the incidents at this time.
