SAN DIEGO (NEWS 8) — A San Diego woman reached out to News 8 after a rock or some other object thrown from an Interstate 8 overpass damaged her car and left her terrified over the weekend. San Diego police have confirmed that they are looking into several similar incidents that occurred over the past few months in which unknown objects were thrown at and/or shot at moving vehicles in the Pacific Beach area.
The woman who asked to only be identified by her first name, Monet, said she was driving north on Sports Arena Boulevard around 8 p.m. on Sunday when the incident with her vehicle occurred. She shared cell phone video she took following the incident with News 8.
Monet said at first, she didn't know what it was that she heard but then observed cracks in the glass of her sunroof. When she cleaned out her car, she said she couldn't find a rock or anything else that may have hit it. She says whatever it was she feels she came very close to getting seriously hurt.
"If it had been a millisecond prior to the impact, that would have been right on top of my head, so it’s crazy to think how lucky I was to miss that,” said Monet.
San Diego County Crimestoppers and SDPD's Northern Division asked for the public's help on Tuesday in identifying suspects involved in at least eight incidents similar to Monet's. Authorities say the incidents occurred sometime between November 2018 and March 2019 and victims reported unknown objects being thrown at or shot at them while driving in the areas of West Mission Bay Drive and Ingraham Street.
According to police, the incidents occurred between 9:45 p.m. and 12:10 a.m. with vehicles sustaining damage to various parts including the body and/or windshield. Damages were estimated to be from $300 to $5,000 on the cars that were damaged. Two drivers were also injured in the incidents receiving small lacerations from broken glass.
Monet said she reached out to San Diego police and the California Highway Patrol following the incident.
Anyone with information on the identity of a suspect(s) is asked to call SDPD’s Northern Division at (858) 552-1700 or the Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at (888) 580-8477. Crime Stoppers is offering up to a $1,000 reward to anyone with information that leads to an arrest in this case.