Los Angeles detectives are asking the public’s help in providing any information related to a shooting of a 25-year-old man who was driving on the 101 Freeway this morning, December 12, 2008. The man, who is from Los Angeles, is in critical condition and not expected to survive. “We have not seen a freeway shooting in quite some time,” said Lt. Paul Vernon, commanding officer of the Central Detective Division.
“And this case really stands out in the number of rounds fired at the victim’s car and the kind of car the victim was driving.” Around 3:20 AM, persons began reporting shots heard in the area of the 101 Freeway and Alameda Street. CHP officers then came upon a silver Bentley Continental GT stopped along the median of 101 Freeway transition to the 10 Freeway east. The passenger side of the car had several bullet holes and the driver was unresponsive.
CHP officers broke the window and opened the door to find the victim shot several times. Detectives located several bullet casings along the freeway, near the Mission Road exit. There were no witnesses to the shooting itself, but motorists did stop to aid the driver after he collided with the median, thinking he was a drunk driver. “This is a real whodunit,” said Lt. Vernon. “We’ll have to look into a number of things like the owner of the car and who the driver was to better understand what happened.
What we really need is for someone to come forward with information.”
Anyone with information is asked to call Central Area Detectives at 213-972-1203 during normal business hours. After hours and on weekends, calls may be directed to a 24-hour, toll-free number at 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (527-3247).
Callers may also text “CRIMES” with a cell phone or log on to www.lapdonline.org and click on Web Tips. When using a cell phone, messages should always begin with “LAPD.” All calls and contacts are anonymous.