Agustin Villegas’ Teen Son Witnesses Father’s Death In Freeway Shooting
Agustin Villegas’ teen son watched his father get shot to death as they drove down a California freeway. Villegas, 32, was in the front seat of a Ford F-150 pickup when shots rang out. His son sadly saw it all go down.
Reuters shares that Villegas’ cousin, a 42-year-old man, was driving the group down the freeway in Anaheim when suddenly bullets struck the vehicle. Two teenage boys, ages 13 and 15, were in the backseat. One is the son of the driver, while the other is the son of Agustin. While the cousin’s injuries are not life-threatening, and the teens were not hit, Agustin Villegas died from his injuries.
At this point, authorities indicate that there is no known motive for the shooting. The incident happened Monday night on the westbound 91 Freeway close to the interchange with the 57 Freeway. CBS Los Angeles notes that police working on the Agustin Villegas shooting are looking for a black Honda sedan that may have been there at the time of the incident. However, there is no description of the suspect.
Anaheim Police Lt. Bob Dunn indicates that at this point, there is no evidence indicating that the shooting was a result of a road rage confrontation of any sort. Sadly, Villegas was the sole provider for his family and he is said to have no criminal ties. ABC 7 confirms that no arrests have been made, and at this time authorities believe that the Anaheim freeway shooting may have been a random act of violence.
Reports indicate that Agustin Villegas was immediately unresponsive after the shots rang out, and the driver quickly navigated to the side of the freeway as one of the teens called 911. The teens were taken to the police station to be interviewed, while the driver was transported to UC Irvine Medical Center. The westbound side of the freeway was closed for several hours, but it was reopened overnight.
Police confirm that none of the truck’s passengers have any criminal or gang ties. While authorities are looking for the dark-colored Honda that was near the scene at the time of the shooting, they are still trying to determine whether the shots came from another vehicle or perhaps even someone on the side of the freeway. They also are trying to ascertain whether the men in the truck were targeted randomly, on purpose, or even mistakenly.
Anybody who has information regarding the Anaheim freeway shooting is asked to call the Orange County CrimeStoppers at (855) TIP-OCCS. Many in the area, including authorities, are worried about the deadly incident witnessed by Agustin Villegas’ teen son, if indeed it was completely random.
[Image via ABC 7 Twitter page]
