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Sandra Yi ReportingIf you thought your trip down the freeway got a little safer when police arrested a man accused of throwing rocks and cars, think again, it's still happening.
A Bountiful family had a close call this morning this morning on I-15 when a rock shattered their window. A series of rock-throwing incidents have scared quite a few drivers. Most of them happening at the north end of Salt Lake County. The most recent incident happened at about 1:30 this morning.
For a Bountiful family, a car-ride home from the airport took a potentially dangerous turn.
Ben Bowers, Victim: “Saw the rock. It was about the size of a golf ball that came flying at us, and just smacked and bounced off and shattered the window.”
It also shattered their nerves. Bowers knows the damage could have been worse.
Ben Bowers: "Extremely lucky that it didn't come into the car and hit anybody. Traveling at speeds like that, I wouldn't want to see much worse than a broken window."
Lt. Mike Rapich: "Very serious problem. We need to bring it to a stop."
The Utah Highway Patrol believes someone threw the rock. And Bowers isn't the first victim. Troopers are investigating a total of 27 rock-throwing incidents reported just in the past month. So far only one suspect, a 22-year old homeless man named Michael Purdy, has been arrested.
Lt. Mike Rapich, Utah Highway Patrol: “Whether this is a copy cat, whether these are people or one person in conjunction with Purdy, we don’t’ know right now.”
The UHP is looking for answers. As for Ben Bowers, he hopes a suspect is caught. He's heard stories of other victims, but never thought it could happen to him.
Ben Bowers: "That time in the morning, there's no one else around to see anything. And hopefully it doesn't happen to anyone else."
Troopers say if you have a rock thrown at your car, or if you notice anything suspicious, call 911 immediately. It'll give them a better chance of finding a suspect. If arrested, that person faces aggravated assault charges, a 3rd degree felony.
