Road rage might be behind the fatal shooting of a man who was discovered early Friday morning inside a car on a freeway in the north San Fernando Valley, police said.
Police discovered the wounded man in a black Mitsubishi car around 12:50 a.m. at the Roxford offramp of the westbound Foothill (210) Freeway. The victim was identified as Sergio Sanchez, a man in his 30s, who appeared to be either on his way to work or returning from work, according to LAPD Lt. Paul Vernon.
"Preliminary evidence tends to show this is a case of road rage," said Vernon. "Bullet impacts and glass fragments lead us to think the shooter fired at the victim from the victim’s side of the car.
"(The victim) did not appear to have a criminal record nor to be affiliated with any gang activity."
The California Highway Patrol initially received word of an obstruction in the road. Upon arrival, they found the car and the man inside. The victim was pronounced dead when he was taken to the hospital.
Police think this may be an incident of road rage because of the way the man was dressed and because of how the shooting took place.
All lanes on the westbound Foothill (210) Freeway were closed at the Simi Valley (118) Freeway while LAPD and California Highway Patrol officers walked along the westbound 210 Freeway from Polk Street to Oxford Avenue to look for any evidence that indicated where the shooting took place. The freeway reopened around 4:45 a.m. Friday.
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Police said that four different people reported hearing gunfire around 11 p.m. near Fenton Avenue and Tyler Street in Sylmar, about a mile from where the car was found. One woman living in the area said she saw the shots fired.
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"I saw this car come out and I heard like three shots," said Brittany Jones, who was on the phone at the time. "They were going down the street as they were shooting the gun."
It was not known if the incidents were related.
