One person was injured after an Iowa man crashed his car on Interstate 80, stripped naked and began shooting at traffic, police said Monday.
The man, who has not been identified, was taken into custody without incident and transported to the hospital. Another man sustained minor injuries after his vehicle was hit by gunfire.
“It could’ve been a lot worse,” said Capt. Mark Matuza of the Omaha Police Department.
According to Matuza, the man was traveling southbound on Interstate 680 about 11:30 a.m. Monday before taking the exit to merge eastbound on Interstate 80. He failed to navigate the curve and crashed his red pickup truck into the concrete barrier on the side of the road.
Matuza said the crash left the pickup truck immovable, and the man exited the truck and stood in the middle of the highway obstructing traffic. He proceeded to strip naked, according to Matuza, before producing a black handgun.
The man then walked along the Interstate while firing the gun, according to a press release from police. It’s unknown exactly how many shots were fired, but Matuza said more than one shell casing was found at the scene.
A man in his early 30s later reported that a bullet had entered the windshield of his vehicle. The victim sustained minor injuries to his chest, but police said it’s unclear whether the injuries were from a bullet graze wound or from shattered glass.
The man was found in a wooded area south of I-80 “within minutes,” Matuza said, and he was taken into custody without incident. He was transported to Creighton University Medical Center-Bergan Mercy.
Matuza suspects that mental health issues played a factor in the incident.
“When someone’s taking off their clothes and acting in that nature, it’s more than likely a mental health episode,” he said.
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The man, who has not been identified, was taken into custody without incident and transported to the hospital. Another man sustained minor injuries after his vehicle was hit by gunfire.
“It could’ve been a lot worse,” said Capt. Mark Matuza of the Omaha Police Department.
According to Matuza, the man was traveling southbound on Interstate 680 about 11:30 a.m. Monday before taking the exit to merge eastbound on Interstate 80. He failed to navigate the curve and crashed his red pickup truck into the concrete barrier on the side of the road.
Matuza said the crash left the pickup truck immovable, and the man exited the truck and stood in the middle of the highway obstructing traffic. He proceeded to strip naked, according to Matuza, before producing a black handgun.
The man then walked along the Interstate while firing the gun, according to a press release from police. It’s unknown exactly how many shots were fired, but Matuza said more than one shell casing was found at the scene.
A man in his early 30s later reported that a bullet had entered the windshield of his vehicle. The victim sustained minor injuries to his chest, but police said it’s unclear whether the injuries were from a bullet graze wound or from shattered glass.
The man was found in a wooded area south of I-80 “within minutes,” Matuza said, and he was taken into custody without incident. He was transported to Creighton University Medical Center-Bergan Mercy.
Matuza suspects that mental health issues played a factor in the incident.
“When someone’s taking off their clothes and acting in that nature, it’s more than likely a mental health episode,” he said.
One person injured after naked man fires gun on Interstate 80, Omaha police say
One person was injured after an Iowa man crashed his car on Interstate 80, stripped naked and began shooting at traffic, police said Monday.
