A veteran is lucky to be alive after a tripod was thrown from an overpass in Sacramento, California and crashed through a van’s windshield, impaling his chest.
Since the terrifying incident, Officer Jim Young ofCalifornia Highway Patrol South Sacramentotells PEOPLE they have named Matthew Adam Thompson, 32, as the suspect who they believe allegedly threw the stolen camera stand “deliberately” from the overpass and into the windshield of a military charity’s Dodge van, which the veteran was a passenger in.
Speaking to PEOPLE, Young says a person, who authorities believe to be Thompson, was captured on surveillance camera stealing the Cal Trans survey team’s tripod in Sacramento around 10:34 a.m on Thursday morning.
“At 10:39 a.m., the tripod was deliberately thrown from 2nd Street west of Interstate 5 and went through the windshield of a Dodge passenger van traveling on southbound Interstate 5,” Young says.
Sacramento High
“It was a very exciting few minutes and I’m glad I was able to pull over quickly and safely,” hewroteon Facebook. “65+ years old with lots of driving experience didn’t prepare me for this INSTANT surprise coming through our windshield. It showed me how quickly my life could have ended.”
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“Our veteran passenger was injured/hospitalized with broken ribs, stitches, and a half-collapsed lung,” theywrotein a post on Facebook. “Scary to think that just a few inches to the left could mean the difference between life and death.”
Speaking to KCRA 3 after the incident, Page said he was driving the veteran from Sacramento International Airport to Placerville when the tripod suddenly came flying through the windshield.
“It was like a dream, for lack of a better description,” Pagetold the outlet. “It was very scary. And of course, seeing it with no blood spurting out was great, but at the same time, injuries don’t always have blood … Part of his shirt went into his lung as well, so it was a little scary later.”
Despite the “scary” injuries, the van’s driver also noted how the severity of the situation could have been much worse.
“I could’ve lost control of the van. We both could’ve been out in traffic,” he told the outlet. “There’s numerous things that could have happened but didn’t… life’s a wonderful thing when you don’t look at the bad part of life, you know, the miracles of life are great.”
The interior of the van.California Highway Patrol South Sacramento
After responding to the scene, Young tells PEOPLE that authorities looked back at surveillance footage to find the suspect, who they determined “was a white male adult wearing dark-colored shorts and shirt and blue sneakers.”
Later in the afternoon, Young says Sergeant B. Robinson of CHP found someone who matched their description walking along the street where the tripod was initially stolen.
“At approximately 1:20 pm, Sergeant B. Robinson observed a suspect matching the description of the suspect walking on Front Street where the initial theft occurred,” Young explains. “As Sergeant Robinson attempted to make contact, the suspect immediately fled on foot.”
“After a short foot pursuit, Sergeant Robinson was able to detain the suspect after a brief struggle with the help of Officer M. Burgess,” Young adds.
Matthew Adam Thompson.California Highway Patrol South Sacramento
“This is still an active investigation, and nobody has been charged with this crime at this time. Thompson is still a suspect and investigators are working non-stop to solve the case,” Young says.
source: people.com
