Posted on 03/30/2008 10:10:14 PM PDT by traumer
LOS ANGELES - Rescue crews responding to a wreck on a Los Angeles freeway found a driver fatally shot in the head early Sunday, while another driver was shot and wounded in a separate attack about 30 miles away, authorities said.
The shootings were the latest in a string of attacks on Southern California freeways that have alarmed motorists and authorities.
Investigators did not know what led to the fatal shooting on the 101 Freeway in the San Fernando Valley on Sunday. The wreck snarled traffic for several hours near Van Nuys.
"There's absolutely no witnesses at this time, no information," Los Angeles police Officer Norma Eisenman said.
The car crashed near a freeway onramp, so it was possible the victim was shot before entering the highway, Eisenman said.
The second shooting was in Long Beach, where the victim was able to drive himself off the freeway and phone for help on Saturday night, Officer Jackie Bezart said.
The man told officers another motorist shot at him as the result of road rage along the 710 Freeway, Bezart said. The man was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
Investigators do not think the cases were related to three other shootings, two that were fatal, in the past several weeks on Southern California freeways.
In Virginia, authorities on Friday arrested two teenagers in connection with random shootings along Interstate 64 and potshots taken at a credit union and a residence a day before. Two people were slightly injured, prompting investigators to briefly shut down a 20-mile stretch of the highway between Waynesboro and Charlottesville.
Those shootings stirred memories of the Washington-area sniper shootings six years ago that killed 10 people.
I listened to 97.1 talk radio today in L.A. and they said that the girlfriend of the driver (who was shot on the 101) had committed suicide the day before he was shot so maybe he also committed suicide.
I lived in Los Angeles four times. Just moved back to Texas from LA in 2007. I know all about the crimes and traffic and gangs in LA.
We lived in So California two years 2005 - 2007 and there were so many times that a drunk driver crashed on the 101 killing innocent people in their car or in another car including the director of A CHRISTMAS STORY and his son. That is one of my favorite movies. Seems like on the 101 especially out by Malibu drunk driving is the main killer, more than guns.
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