In a possible break in a months-long case in the South Bay, deputies arrested a man Sunday seen throwing rocks at cars along Highway 152 near Gilroy, according to the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office.
Jeremy Valdez, a 28-year-old parolee, was in custody on felony charges, officials said.
The call came in about 9:15 a.m., with witnesses reporting seeing a man throwing rocks from the side of the highway between Lover's Lane and San Felipe Road, the sheriff's office said.
At least 20 vehicles were damaged and forced to pull over, and one person suffered minor injuries.
Valdez fled into a field with tall vegetation, but deputies eventually tracked him down, officials said.
For more than a year, a rock-throwing suspect on the busy corridor has terrorized motorists and eluded authorities. But it's unclear if Sunday's arrest is linked to the other incidents reported in the area near Casa de Fruta.
In March, a series of rock-throwing attacks occurred, and some led to injuries.
One of the victims, Nicole Angeles of Gustine, was returning from a day at Casa de Fruta, near Hollister, with her family, driving on Pacheco Pass when a man ran onto the highway and hurled a rock at their van.
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"We pulled over and saw that our son, who's 4 and was in a carseat, had glass all over him," Angeles said. "We realized when we got out, he threw something at us."
The rock shattered their window and dented the car. They noticed seven other cars pulled over at the same spot and found they too were victims of a malicious rock thrower.
The suspect in that incident is described as a middle-aged man with a thin build and shoulder-length hair, and was reportedly throwing the objects during the evening and nighttime hours.
Highway 152 is a well traveled highway connecting the South Bay to Interstate 5.
Anyone whose car may have been struck by an object is asked to report the incident to Officer Amy Tritenbach at (408) 848-2324 or ktritenbach@chp.ca.gov. Members of the public with information about the suspect are also asked to come forward.
