Suspect arrested in San Diego freeway shooting that wounded student [Updated]
An arrest has been made in a San Diego freeway shooting this month that wounded a 21-year-old student on her way to the University of San Diego, the county district attorney announced Thursday.
Dist. Atty. Bonnie Dumanis said the California Highway Patrol identified a suspect by matching DNA from shell casings left on California Highway 163 after the shooting spree.
"This was just good old-fashioned police work," Dumanis said during an interview on KUSI-TV.
Dumanis declined to name the suspect. The CHP has announced an 11 a.m. news conference.
The alleged shooter may have fired upward of 12 shots along the freeway during the April 5 morning rush-hour just north of Mission Valley. The shot that wounded the student penetrated her car before hitting her.
A second driver also reported that his vehicle was struck by a bullet but he was not injured.
Investigators have presumed that the shooter chose his targets at random.
Dumanis said the suspect would probably be arraigned Friday and faced possible charges of attempted murder, assault with great bodily injury and shooting into an occupied vehicle.
She declined to say whether the suspect's DNA was on file because he has a criminal record. The wounded student "is doing just fine" after surgery, she said.
[Updated, 4:30 p.m.: The suspect was identified as Stephen Joseph Dragasits, 58. The CHP said he was a transient living in a trailer. He was convicted this year for throwing rocks at passing cars.]
-- Tony Perry in San Diego
ALSO:
Onion spill closes two southbound lanes of 710 Freeway
Two fires were set in homes as people slept, authorities say
Obama's L.A. visit: Westside residents urged to stay home to avoid gridlock
Photo: Stephen Joseph Dragasits. Credit: California Highway Patrol
EDITOR'S PICKS:
Why is it so easy for us human to do evil deeds than to do good. What do people get out of it while causing pain and suffering to others.
Posted by: Manwithnoname | April 21, 2011 at 09:43 AM
"Declined to say how they had his DNA." DNA is taken when they commit felonies or sex-related crimes. C'mon Bonnie!
Posted by: john | April 21, 2011 at 10:22 AM
Not hard to arrest an obviously loony individual. Anyone that would go around randomly shooting at cars during a rush hour really needs to be off the street for a long time, maybe the rest of his life.
Then we can go to work on the smarter criminals.
Posted by: surfdogh2o | April 21, 2011 at 12:33 PM