03 October 2011

Four Highway Shootings Reported in San Diego

Four separate highway shootings were reported within 20 minutes on San Diego County highways and officials have launched a search for a suspect vehicle with two suspects and a semi-automatic gun last seen driving northbound on I-5 in the Carmel Valley area.

A driver riding along the Northbound I-805 near Mesa College Drive reports shots were fired at their car late Monday morning. Officers investigating the scene will close the NB I-805 from I-8 to the SR-163 for one hour, starting at 12:45 p.m., while officers investigate the scene.

The call came in to officers at 10:44 a.m. from the driver of a Hyundai Accent.

The driver of the vehicle was shot in the leg and was transported to Sharp Memorial Hospital for treatment.

The second vehicle, a black four-door Volvo sedan, was shot just south on Plaza Ave. on the Northbound 805. The driver, Marcus Eagles, 37, of Paradise Valley, said a passing car pulled up to him and fired once at his car. He pulled over near Plaza and I-805 in National City to alert police.

The man had just dropped off his young daughter when he says a man pulled up alongside him.

"I was just driving, I heard a loud pop," the driver said. "I saw a guy with a gun and that was about it."

Eagles is ex-Navy and says his military experience probably helped him remain calm under pressure.

"I'm ok, but I am still shook up about it," Eagles said.

The bullet entered the rear driver's side door and hit luggage sitting in the man's backseat, close to where his daughter was previously sitting.

The National City shooting could be the first incident in the shooting spree, according to the National City police.

This shooting could be the first incident in the shooting spree, according to the National City police.

Officers also reported the suspects shot at a California Highway Patrol vehicle near NB I-805 and the NB SR-163.

A fourth shooting occurred on the NB I-5 at Del Mar Heights, where the suspects shot at a passing ambulance.

Only one was hurt during the alleged shooting spree officers said.

Police said witnesses reported seeing two men with a semi-automatic handgun driving a white 2005 or 2006 Chevy Malibu with California license plate 5POM917.

The suspects were last seen driving north near the I-5 and Del Mar Heights Rd. Police say the man is considered armed and dangerous. If anyone sees the vehicle they are urged to dial 911 immediately.

The Mesa College off-ramp off the I-805 will remain closed indefinitely.

Officers say the spree may be related to a hit and run that occurred on San Ysidro Boulevard in the South Bay early Monday.

Police say they first received a call around 10:22 a.m. about a Chevy Malibu that hit a gate on San Ysidro Blvd. and fled the scene of the accident. Police believe this could be the first sighting of the suspect's vehicle.

This would be the second time in seven months that San Diego motorists driving along the freeway were targeted by a shooter.

On April 5, two motorists were shot at while driving on the southbound 163 freeway near Kearny Mesa. One University of San Diego student was shot in the abdomen through her vehicle.

The other driver’s vehicle was also struck, but the man was not harmed. Stephen Dragasits, 58, was accused of the shooting.

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