Police search for driver who allegedly stopped in middle of I-270, shot at cars

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A person stopped their car in the middle of Interstate 270 Wednesday afternoon and opened fire on multiple vehicles on the freeway, striking two of them and a nearby business, according to the Columbus Division of Police.

Around 1:06 p.m., police said officers were dispatched to I-270 East between Interstate 71 and state Route 315 on the north side for a report of shots fired.

No one was shot, but one person was hit by broken glass and hospitalized, according to a Columbus public safety dispatcher.

Columbus Police Sgt. James Fuqua said investigators do not have reason to believe this was a targeted attack or road rage.

“Very disturbing and very scary for motorists to have a situation where someone stops in the middle of the freeway, starts firing shots and immediately takes off without any warning,” Fuqua said.

According to Fuqua, two vehicles were struck by the gunfire. Thirteen people were inside the vehicles, but none of them were shot.

“That was potentially 13 people that could have been seriously hurt or worse, even killed, by this heinous act,” Fuqua said.

It’s unclear what kind of gun was used in the shooting, but Fuqua said multiple shots were fired.

The interstate was shut down for three hours as detectives investigated the scene.

Fuqua said the shooter will face felony charges.

Detectives are asking that anyone with video footage or information about the shooting use the QR code below or contact Detective Komisarek at 614-645-4740 or nkomisarek@columbuspolice.org.

Anonymous tips can be sent to Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-461-8477.