Vehicle-To-Vehicle Shooting Damages Tow Truck In North County

OCEANSIDE, CA — A man suspected of firing a gun at an occupied tow truck in Oceanside early Wednesday — damaging the vehicle but causing no injuries — was arrested a short time later in neighboring Carlsbad, authorities reported.

Curtis Lynn Cains, 61, allegedly opened fire on the commercial vehicle from inside a silver SUV in the area of Mesa Drive and Pear Tree Lane shortly before 1 a.m., then drove away to the west on El Camino Real, according to the Oceanside Police Department.

Officers traced the license-plate number of the SUV to Cains' home address, finding the vehicle parked in front of the residence within about 15 minutes of the shooting, OPD spokeswoman Jennifer Atenza said.

Officers then saw Cains come out of the house, walk over to the SUV and lock it before going back inside, Atenza said. When he exited the residence again a short time later, Carlsbad police took him into custody.

Cains was booked into county jail in Vista on suspicion of assault with a firearm.

The motive for the shooting was unclear, though investigators suspected that Cains might have had some connection to a vehicle the victim was towing when the truck was fired on, the spokeswoman said.

— City News Service