The California Highway Patrol is investigating two separate shootings on East Bay freeways in less than 24 hours.
The most recent shooting happened at about 5:45 a.m. Friday on the eastbound Interstate 80 transition ramp to southbound Interstate 880 in Oakland, according to the CHP.
Investigators believe this was a case of road rage between the victim and the suspect, starting on the Bay Bridge. The victim was ultimately hit in the head by shrapnel after bullets hit his vehicle. He was listed in stable condition and is expected to recover.
The transition ramp from eastbound I-80 to southbound I-880 was closed from just after 6 a.m. to about 9:40 a.m., according to the CHP.
The first shooting happened just before 4 p.m. Thursday on eastbound Highway 24 near Old Tunnel Road. The CHP said the suspect in that case shot three different vehicles. No one was injured. The suspect was taken into custody after crashing his car on Interstate 680 in Walnut Creek.
Despite the back-to-back shootings, the CHP said freeway gunfire is down from last year by 34%. There have been 43 Bay Area freeway shootings this year compared to 64 this time last year.
“As far as having two of them within 24 hours of each other, for us that’s rare,” CHP Sgt. Andrew Barclay said. “We don’t see that often.”
California Highway Patrol Sgt. Andrew Barclay addresses two recent freeway shootings in the East Bay.