Authorities in Alabama are hoping someone will come forward to help them find a red pickup that’s been linked to several attacks on tractor-trailers in Mobile, Ala.
The latest attack on U.S. Highway 98 sent a trucker to the hospital with a shattered cheekbone and swollen eyes filled with glass fragments.
The news comes as police in Austin, Texas continue investigating dozens of unsolved cases involving rocks being thrown at vehicles on Interstate 35. Thirteen attacks were reported in one weekend alone, according to kxan.com, leaving at least five people injured.
As Memorial Day weekend gets into gear and promises to bring additional traffic, Austin police reported this week that to keep drivers safe they’re thinking of shutting down the lower deck of I-35 at night. They’d also like to put up signs warning new drivers in the area about the attacks.
For truckers like Charles Jones of Mississippi, driving at night usually means dealing with a lot less traffic, but it can also prove more dangerous. Around 2 a.m. Saturday morning Jones said an object burst through his truck’s windshield and struck him in the face while he was traveling east bound in Mobile on U.S. Highway 98 near Lakeview Drive, according to fox10tv.com.
Though blinded by the attack, Jones was able to keep his truck on the road and quickly bring it to a stop. A motorist driving behind Jones called 911.
Jones said he saw a suspicious, red pickup shortly before the attack. The Mobile County Sheriff’s Office says that other truckers traveling through Mobile have also reported seeing a red pickup before having objects thrown at their trucks.
Jones said at first he was confused as to why he was wet from the attack. The sheriff’s office later found a busted jug inside his truck. It had been filled with a liquid of some kind, presumably water, before being thrown at Jones’ windshield.
Jones is recovering at Providence Hospital. He said he’s grateful to be alive.
“I’m just thanking the Lord because it could have been a lot worse because the truck could have rolled over… I could have hit somebody. And I’m just thankful it was no worse than it was,” Jones told kltv.com.
The Mobile County Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone with information on the attacks to contact them at 251-574-8633.
In Austin, information that leads to the arrest and conviction of one of the attackers will result in a $10,000 award from the Greater Austin Crime Commission. The Austin Police Department can be contacted at 512-974-5000.
Authorities looking for red pick-up truck in connection to incident that left truck driver injured. @FOX10News pic.twitter.com/JseUEezdUS
— Sarah Wall (@SarahWallFox10) May 25, 2016
