Driver shot by CHP officer improving

SAN FRANCISCO >> The driver of a Cadillac shot by a California Highway Patrol officer on the Bay Bridge early Sunday remained hospitalized Monday morning in stable condition but seems to be improving, an agency spokesman said.

Authorities still have not identified the driver, who is suspected of driving onto the right shoulder of the bridge’s eastbound span toward officers who were investigating a crash. At least one shot hit the driver, who went to Highland Hospital with what were then called life-threatening injuries, CHP Officer Vu Williams said.

Those injuries no longer were life-threatening on Monday morning, Williams said, though authorities do not know when the driver will be released.

The shooting happened after the lanes already were shut down around 3:35 a.m. for a multi-car crash about a mile west of the toll plaza. But about 20 minutes into that investigation, a Cadillac came toward officers on the right shoulder, Williams said.

The driver did not slow down or stop despite repeated requests, according to the CHP, and one of the officers fired a shot after feeling threatened for his life, Williams said.

Two passengers in the Cadillac weren’t injured. They were detained, questioned and released.

The officers weren’t wearing body cameras, and investigators have not determined whether there is any security footage tape from the bridge, Williams said.

The shooting kept the entire eastbound span closed for more than four hours, a decision that frustrated motorists stuck for hours on the bridge before being forced to turn around and go west on the eastbound lanes to the Treasure Island exit.

“For us, our No. 1 priority is preserving the scene, and in this case, you not only had the shooting, but you had the crash earlier,” Williams said. “So while you may be in your car and see what looks like space for a lane or two to be open, that’s not the case. Things are not always what they look like. We’re waiting for experts to get to the scene, tests to be done.

“Believe me, our No. 2 priority is getting the scene cleared as soon as we can, and getting people on their way again. We know it wasn’t fun, but hopefully, people understand that it’s not every day that we have a shooting on the Bay Bridge.”

Traffic began to move a bit when the CHP opened two lanes around 8:53 a.m. By 9:30 a.m., all eastbound lanes on the San Francisco side of Treasure Island were open, and 15 minutes later, the CHP cleared the scene.