Pedestrians Shot With Metal Darts on Golden Gate Bridge: CHP

California Highway Patrol officials say the darts are comprised of a metal body approximately five inches long with one end sharpened to a fine point. The tail of the dart is topped with a white plastic cap which allows the dart to be fired from a blow gun. Image via the CHP.

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA - Two pedestrians were shot with metal darts from a blowgun while walking on the Golden Gate Bridge Friday afternoon, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Around 2:45 p.m. a bicycle officer patrolling the bridge was flagged down in the Golden Gate Bridge Vista Point parking lot by a man who had been shot in the thigh with a dart, which penetrated one to two inches, according to the CHP. It wasn’t long before another victim came forward.

“As officers were speaking with the first victim, a second victim approached the group and advised that she had also been struck by a dart,” CHP Officer Andrew Barclay said. “The victim advised she was also traveling north on the east sidewalk when she was struck in the knee cap by an identical dart.”

Both victims were treated by paramedics and released at the scene.

The darts are roughly five inches long with a white plastic cap on the back end, according to officers. They’ve both been sent for testing, to ensure they didn’t have any sort of chemicals on them.

“At this time investigators are working with the Golden Gate Bridge District to ascertain if any footage of the crime was captured on camera.,” Barclay added. “There were no 911 calls or reports of suspicious behavior at the time of the incident.”

Investigators believe both victims may have been shot by an individual traveling across the east sidewalk span between 2 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the CHP’s Marin Station at (415) 924-1100.

--Bay City News Service contributed to this report.