Local News in Brief : Sniper Hits Teacher’s Car
A bullet apparently fired from a wooded park in Pasadena shattered the windshield of a high school teacher’s car as he drove to work early Friday, setting off a futile two-hour search for a possible sniper across the street from La Canada High School.
Sheriff’s deputies briefly evacuated the La Canada Flintridge school and closed an on-ramp to the 210 Freeway, Sgt. John Bivens said. But they found no suspects in a search of Oak Grove Park, where they believe the bullet was fired about 6:20 a.m., Bivens said.
The driver, 43-year-old Peter Rutherford of San Dimas, suffered minor cuts on his forehead from broken glass, Bivens said.
Rutherford, a former police officer who now teaches English at the high school, said he believes he escaped a bullet wound by chance.
Rutherford said he had just leaned toward the passenger side of his car to steady a bottle of orange juice when the bullet hit the windshield just below the rear view mirror.
“The windshield of my car was killed instead of me,” he said.
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