3 shootings: Freeway shootings in Oakland and SF, bullet-ridden SUV on 101
SAN FRANCISCO - Freeway shootings were reported in Oakland and San Francisco on Monday. And in a third incident, a bullet-ridden SUV that was shot at on San Francisco city streets, ended up on U.S. Highway 101.
The first shooting was reported at about 8:40 a.m. when a vehicle was struck by a bullet on the 66th Avenue off-ramp of southbound Interstate Highway 880 in Oakland, according to the California Highway Patrol. The driver was not injured.
The second shooting occurred around 9:26 p.m. on northbound Highway 101 in San Francisco, ending in a single-vehicle crash, according to the CHP. Officers said a freeway shooting occurred, which led to the crash. At the scene, they located a victim who was not shot, but sustained minor injuries related to the crash. No suspect was identified.
The third incident was reported about 10:30 p.m., also on northbound Highway 101 just south of 280 in San Francisco. A white SUV was seen at the scene riddled with multiple bullet holes. The driver of the SUV escaped unharmed, the CHP said. While authorities first thought the shooting originated on the freeway, they later said that th SUV was shot at on city streets before it entered the highway.
The motive of the three shootings is unknown and the CHP did not report that any arrests have been made.
As the number of freeway shootings are dipping in LA and across California, the Bay Area is unfortunately bucking that trend. Freeway shootings in the nine Bay Area counties have gone up since 2021, according to an analysis of California Highway Patrol data.
From guns to gangs and just overall road rage, there's a growing shooting problem on Bay Area freeways. But until there are more tools in place – and political will to reduce gun violence throughout the nine-county region – the message is out that long stretches of roads with massive blind spots are convenient places to escape accountability.
Overall, the California Highway Patrol's arrest rate statewide ranges from about 10% to 20%.
The lack of cameras and witnesses, the mobility of Bay Area rivals from city to city and the dynamic nature of a freeway crime scene all make it difficult to track down those firing weapons out of their speeding cars. The CHP also was never historically imagined as an agency to investigate shootings and homicides, experts point out.
Bay Area freeway shootings are double that of LA
As the number of freeway shootings are dipping in LA and across California, the Bay Area is unfortunately bucking that trend. Freeway shootings in the nine Bay Area counties have gone up since 2021.