CHP investigates highway hitter striking again along 101, 156
The California Highway Patrol says they are investigating Friday night’s incidents involving yet another projectile-throwing highway hitter along Highways 101 and 156.
This time, two vehicles were targets of someone or some people throwing objects at moving cars driving by. These types of incidents have been going on over the last few months sporadically, but usually in the same area.
CHP tells KION Friday night’s incidents fit the profile of whoever has been doing these senseless acts.
The mysterious highway hitter struck again around 8 p.m. Friday night.
“A lady came in, she wanted the number for the non-emergency sheriff. And so we gave that to her, and she said they had been shot, you know, their vehicle had been shot at,” said Susan Stovall, a cashier at the Chevron in Prunedale.
CHP says no gunfire was used during Friday’s incidents.
Employees working at the Chevron gas station in Prunedale Friday night witnessed one of the vehicles hit, a Ford F-150 with an entire family inside, drive up to the station for help.
“It was shattered on the window, but it didn’t go all the way through, just some glass went into the vehicle. And it was a brand new F-150,” said Stovall.
CHP tells KION another car, a Ford Expedition, was also hit.
Both incidents occurred sometime after 8 p.m. that night: one near the Red Barn driving southbound on Highway 101 close to Crazy Horse Canyon and the other driving westbound on 156.
One of the driver’s told the Chevron cashier they heard a loud crack as they were driving. Luckily, CHP says no one was injured in either of the two cars.
“Since this has been going on, yeah I’ve been really scared, especially for my daughter because she drives 101 to Seaside,” said Valerie Marquez, a Watsonville resident. “So I’m scared for her because she has four kids.”
CHP investigators tell me their coast division office in San Luis Obispo has been on this case for months. They have been investigating similar incidents in Gilroy along the 152, and they believe there are similarities between the two separate cases.
CHP tells KION they have more patrols in the 101 area, but they still do not have an idea who is throwing these projectiles.
“They were quite upset, it was a family. I thought that was pretty sad, I couldn’t believe that happened again,” said Stovall.
“Highway patrol or the police department or I don’t know, somebody should be doing more because somebody’s going to get hurt really bad,” said Marquez.
While CHP says the incidents on Friday night were not from gunfire, investigators believe BB gun pellets or marbles have been thrown or shot in these types of attacks before.
KION 2019
