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A Hayward man was arrested after authorities allege he injured people in separate freeway shootings minutes and miles apart on Sunday morning, including an incident in Livermore that brought one side of Interstate 580 to a standstill.
The California Highway Patrol said 24-year-old Armando Perez was booked into Santa Rita Jail on suspicion of attempted murder and other felonies in connection with the Livermore shooting, while charges are expected to follow for the earlier, more serious gunfire in San Joaquin County.
“The motive for these shootings is still under investigation,” officials with the CHP’s Golden Gate Division said on Monday afternoon. “Public safety is the top priority of the CHP. Freeway shootings are a serious crime and the CHP investigates each incident to the fullest extent.”
The CHP said that Perez was taken into custody in Castro Valley just before noon Sunday after being located in the vehicle directly linked to the Livermore shooting minutes earlier, and subsequent collaboration with investigators in San Joaquin County led to him being identified as their primary suspect as well.
The situation began unfolding at approximately 11:15 a.m. Sunday when a person was critically injured in a shooting on westbound Interstate 205 near the I-5 interchange in the San Joaquin Valley, according to the CHP.
Then, at 11:44 a.m., a call came in to 911 about a freeway shooting on the westbound side of I-580 just west of the North Livermore Avenue interchange, the CHP said. Arriving officers found that a male occupant of a white Dodge pickup truck had been shot; he was later transported to Eden Medical Center for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
The gunman drove away, but he was confirmed to be the only person inside a brown sedan. CHP officers in Castro Valley reported locating the suspect vehicle on westbound I-580 near Strobridge Avenue, and took the driver into custody at 11:56 a.m. The driver was later identified as Perez, according to the CHP.
Officers shut down the westbound side of I-580 near North Livermore Avenue from 12:17-12:42 p.m. for their investigation, bringing traffic to a halt.
It was upon further investigation that detectives with the CHP-Golden Gate special investigations unit and CHP-Valley Division investigators linked the two freeway shootings and identified Perez as their suspect for both.
Perez was booked into the jail in Dublin on suspicion of attempted murder, shooting at an occupied vehicle and assault with a deadly weapon in connection with the Livermore incident. Separate charges are expected to be filed in the San Joaquin County case soon, according to the CHP.
“As these are both ongoing investigations, the victims’ identities and extent of injuries are not being released at this time,” CHP officials said.
They added that anyone with information about either of the two freeway shootings can contact the agency’s tip line at 707-917-4491.
