Three teenaged boys from Elkton have been charged in the shootings with a BB rifle of more than a dozen vehicles traveling along Interstate 95 in Cecil County in recent weeks, according to the Maryland State Police.
The boys, ages 14, 15 and 16, who were not identified, were arrested late Sunday and charged with reckless endangerment, malicious destruction of property, throwing or shooting an object at a vehicle, and trespassing, the state police said Monday.
The shootings resulted in drivers having windows shattered, cracked and punctured, police said. No drivers or passengers reported injuries, but "most reported being very frightened when their window was struck and shattered," police said.
The first recent incident was reported on Jan. 16. Since then, police allege the three teens may have shared one BB rifle to shoot at 50 vehicles traveling southbound on I-95 near Deaver Road in Elkton on multiple occasions, striking 20 or more, between the hours of 7 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.
After several such incidents were reported, state police began patrolling the area.
Shortly after 9:30 p.m. Sunday, a trooper was on a patrol when a call came in about another vehicle being shot. Additional troopers responded to the area and a search of the area led them to a nearby home, police said.
Police stopped a vehicle leaving the home with an adult and the three teen boys inside, and identified the teens as being responsible for the shooting, police said.
A BB rifle belonging to one of the teens was found inside the home, police said.
Police allege the teens are responsible for about $15,000 in damage to the passenger-side windows of 18 vehicles. They also believe there may be more victims.
Anyone who sustained passenger window damage while traveling along southbound I-95 in the area is asked to call state police at 410-537-1150.
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