911 phone calls released from attempted murder on I-10
911 callers reacted to a car driving erratically eastbound on the I-10 freeway on Saturday and may have saved the lives of the mother and child inside the car.
“He’s either drunk or high on drugs, but he definitely shouldn’t be driving,” said one caller.
“There’s a car seat in the back seat of the car. I don’t know if there is a kid in there or not. He’s almost hit the rail, I don’t know how many times,” said one of the drivers on the road.
Reckless driver report turns into attempted murder investigation
When California Highway Patrol officers pulled the car over, they found the woman lying in the rear passenger floorboard who was shot multiple times and an uninjured baby covered in blood.
A handgun was also found in the car.
Police say the driver was Willie Roy Smith III.
Smith pleaded not guilty to attempted murder on Wednesday.
He also pleaded not guilty to domestic violence, child endangerment and drunken driving charges.
The woman was taken to Desert Regional Medical Center and is currently in stable condition, officers said in a release.
The 3-month-old baby was secured in a car seat, officers said. Thankfully the baby wasn’t injured.
The child was treated and is currently in the custody of Child Protective Services.
“We are still trying to determine exactly where the shooting occurred,” said Lt. Glen Haas with CCPD. “There was evidence found inside the car that the shooting occurred inside the car but we still don’t know where that shooting actually happened.”
