First hand gestures, then gunfire, in San Jose road rage

Shots were fired during an outburst of road rage on Highway 101 in San Jose, authorities said Friday.

No one was hurt in the shooting, which happened about 10:10 p.m. Thursday on northbound Highway 101 south of Interstate 880, said Officer Ross Lee, a California Highway Patrol spokesman.

The incident began when a motorist, driving north from Gilroy, encountered a black Hyundai whose driver made an unsafe lane change in front of his red Saab, Lee said.

The victim pulled up next to the Hyundai and “displayed a hand gesture to convey his anger about the lane change,” Lee said.

Both drivers then began “brake-checking each other and exchanging offensive hand gestures” as they continued into San Jose. About a mile or two south of the I-880 interchange, the victim “heard two loud pops and felt impacts to his vehicle,” Lee said.

He pulled over and found two bullet holes in his passenger-side door. CHP officers determined that one of the bullets traveled through the passenger door, into the center console and into the right side of the driver’s seat, Lee said. The second bullet failed to penetrate beyond the inside of the passenger door.

The victim was unable to provide a full description of the shooter and never saw a gun, Lee said. He did provide a partial license plate.

No arrest has been made. Lee said the incident was a prime example of how an incident of road rage could “go badly very quickly.”

Henry K. Lee is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: hlee@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @henryklee



