A two-time felon described as mad at the government is in stable condition after a shootout with CHP officers Sunday that shut down a major freeway for nearly 20 hours.
The California Highway Patrol said more than 60 rounds were exchanged between officers and the suspect, 45-year-old Byron Williams, of Groveland, a town near Yosemite National Park.
The gunfire rang out on Interstate 580 in Oakland near the Grand Avenue exit shortly after midnight Sunday. CHP officers stopped Williams because, they said, he was speeding and weaving in and out of traffic in his white Toyota pickup truck. Officers say Williams started firing at them as they approached his vehicle.
Investigators say Williams was armed with a handgun, a shotgun and a rifle and that he was wearing body armor. Two CHP officers suffered minor injuries from flying glass during the shootout.
Williams was hit several times but investigators said a bulletproof vest almost certainly saved his life.
"There is no doubt in our minds based on the body armor, the type of weapons and ammunition, "CHP spokesman Trent Cross said, "that he was on his way to do some very serious crime to someone or a group of people."
The bomb squad detonated items in the pickup truck and agents from the FBI collected evidence. No explosives were found in the truck but a robot retrieved a notebook from the vehicle with a cover reading "California". Investigators have not revealed the contents of the notebook.
The pickup truck was registered to Williams' mother, who lives in Groveland. She told the Chronicle that her son has not been able to find a job for the past two years because of his criminal record. She also said he was angry at the government and upset by, "the way Congress was railroading through all these left-wing agenda items."
Williams faces attempted murder charges.
The highway was repopened for traffic by apout 7 p.m.
Someone posted the following video on YouTube from a nearby window in the moments after the shooting. (Warning graphic language)
