Kansas City area drivers are resting easier today thanks to the work of police investigators using the latest in technology to identify a suspect in a series of highway shootings. The Los Angeles Times cites court paperwork identifying license plate reader technology as giving police a much needed break in their investigations.
In March, drivers began reporting a series of shooting incidents on freeways south of Kansas City, Mo. As the investigation progressed, police linked a dozen incidents to the same .380 gun, but they still had no suspect.
According to a probable cause statement, authorities got their big break a week before the arrest, on April 9, when a woman came forward to say that she thought she may have been followed by the highway shooter. She gave authorities an Illinois plate to look for.
Kansas City Investigators plugged the plate number into a database for license-plate readers. The search located the plate on a green Dodge Neon, logged several times parked in front of a residence near where the shootings took place.
Police ultimately arrested 27-year-old Mohammed Pedro Whitaker and are charging him with 18 felonies related to the shootings.