$10K reward offered in case of tech shuttle BB gun attacks

SAN JOSE — A Bay Area charter bus carrier is offering a $10,000 reward to find whoever has been firing a BB gun at buses shuttling tech workers over the past couple of months.

The California Highway Patrol is reportedly even employing a decoy bus with the aim of drawing fire, and catching the suspect or suspects, according to ABC7.

Storer Coachways put up the money after seven instances in which buses — not all operated by the company — were damaged by BB shots while traveling along Interstate 280 between San Francisco and San Jose, according to the CHP.

While seven incidents have been confirmed, Sgt. Robert Nacke said investigators are vetting additional reports of damage to other buses to assess whether they match the pattern of shootings that took place in January and February.

The BB shootings shattered windows or damaged the luggage compartment doors of the buses, some which were traveling on roads when they were shot at, Nacke said.

No injuries were reported in the attacks, but Nacke warned that one well-targeted shot could create a disaster because of the buses’ size and the fact that they’re operating during well-traveled commute hours.

“We’ve been really lucky that the windows broken were toward the middle or back of the bus. Imagine if it hit a driver’s side window and startled or injured the driver,” he said. “That could be a catastrophe, and we want to avoid that.”

Five of the attacks occurred Jan. 17 when windows were shattered on buses shuttling Apple and Google employees on I-280 between Highway 85 and Woodside Road. On Jan. 29, a bus sustained a shattered window when it was hit while on I280 south of Magdalena Avenue, according to the CHP.