San Jose (CBS SF)-announced a $20,000 reward on Thursday to find one or more saboteurs who have been using a slingshot to launch metal ball bearings into windows along the Guadalupe highway , Including at the SAP Center, the San Jose Museum of Art, and the county’s crime laboratory.
Investigators in the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office referred to the suspect as the “San Jose Highway Slingshot Shooter” and targeted residential and commercial buildings along Highway 87 between I-280 and Highway 101.
"The situation is getting worse and more frequent," said Captain Michael Whittington of the Office of the District Attorney's Bureau of Investigation. "This may escalate, and we hope that this behavior will stop, because the next event may be catastrophic."
According to Whittington, District Attorney Jeff Rosen said "enough" in a recent attack, and an unsuspecting woman was sitting in her parked car.
"There was no gunshots, no sound, her window was blown up," Whittington said. "Imagine a silent attack that might hit you. We want to stop this."
Investigators now worry that the suspect’s behavior is escalating into a shocking and more violent pattern.
In a press release, a spokesperson for the DA office stated that although no one was reportedly injured during the vandalism, the damage is estimated to have exceeded $500,000.
Homes, companies and institutions have become the targets of shameless attacks. The county crime laboratory has been attacked eight times.
"We are seeking help from the public to stop this destructive and dangerous carnival," DA Rosen said. "It's not just property damage. People live and work behind those windows."
Whittington said that since March, they have recorded at least 20 targeting of residential and commercial windows along the corridor, which passes through the San Jose International Airport and runs through downtown San Jose.
Investigators believe that the suspect is using some type of slingshot to launch metal bearings at a potentially lethal speed.
Michael Titus, who lives near the highway 87 corridor, said the case will give him a better understanding of his surroundings.
"If you are going to endanger someone, then you need to be caught, especially if you are targeting people," Titus said.
Lloyd Allen and his young daughter are in the park and also live near Highway 87.
"I mean, it could be my daughter or relatives I know passing by, and this could happen, so it's absolutely worrying," Allen said.
Whittington said that metal ball bearings are about a quarter the size and move at 100 mph during impact.
"Our district attorney Jeff Rosen said,'This must stop, we need to find this person,'" Whittington said.
When asked if he had any news about the San Jose highway slingshot shooter, Whittington replied: "Stop. You will kill someone."
If you have information about this crime, you can use the Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers P3TIPS mobile app to submit anonymous crime tips by calling the reporting hotline (408) 947-STOP or visiting http://www.svcrimestoppers.org online. If the information you submit results in an arrest, you are eligible for a reward.
Reward funding is funded by a community-driven partnership with Silicon Valley Fight Crime Organization.