A woman died after a rock was thrown through her windshield while she was driving in California, police said, marking the third separate rock-throwing instance in as many days.
The incident occurred early on Tuesday morning in Antelope Valley, California, when authorities from the California Highway Patrol responded to a “tragic traffic incident” at 12:10 a.m. on SR-138, east of SR-18, according to a statement from CHP on Tuesday.
“Upon arrival, officers discovered a female driver who had sustained fatal injuries from a rock which had been thrown through her vehicle’s windshield,” police said. “Despite efforts from emergency personnel, the driver was pronounced deceased at the scene.”
The unnamed victim had a passenger in the vehicle and was traveling westbound at the time of the incident, CHP said. The person she was travelling with reported that a rock was thrown into the car from an unknown location while they were driving.
California Highway Patrol officers, along with Los Angeles County Fire Department personnel, thoroughly searched the surrounding area but were unable to locate a suspect.
“The tragic incident follows another similar occurrence in the vicinity that occurred on the night of October 6th, where another driver reported a rock going through their windshield,” authorities said. “Given these recurring incidents, the California Highway Patrol Southern Division Major Crimes Unit and the CHP Antelope Valley Area are actively investigating these incidents and are seeking assistance from the community.”
The first of the two previous incident reports included major injuries with fractured bones, the second incident later that day involved minor abrasions, while the third occurrence on Tuesday resulted in the fatality.
“We urge anyone who has information pertaining to these incidents to contact the California Highway Patrol 24 hours a day and 7 days a week at (323) 259-3200,” CHP said. “The public’s cooperation is crucial to help bring the perpetrator(s) of this heinous act to justice and prevent further tragedies. The California Highway Patrol is committed to ensuring public safety and will continue to investigate all incidents thoroughly.”
