163 Freeway Shooting Victim Testifies About Injuries

A former college student who suffered a collapsed lung in an that also damaged a Rancho Bernardo man's car testified in court Monday that she heard a loud noise then felt pain in her side.

"It kind of startled me," said Ashley Simmons, 21, during the preliminary hearing for suspected shooter Stephen Dragasits.

Dragasits, 58, is accused of firing a rifle during morning commute traffic on the 163 freeway, striking Simmons as she drove to the University of San Diego and hitting the car of Jeffrey Lloyd-Jones of RB.

Lloyd-Jones, who also testified Monday, said he felt his car shake but didn't see the bullet hole until he stopped to get gas. He contacted the California Highway Patrol after seeing news reports about Simmons being shot that day, he said.

Simmons testified that she spent eight days in the hospital with a collapsed lung and a .22 caliber bullet lodged in her liver. After initially thinking the loud noise in her car was firecrackers, Simmons felt the pain and struggled to breathe, she said. She called her mother and asked her to call an ambulance, which met her in front of the university and took her to the hospital.

Dragasits, who was living in a motor home near the site of the shootings, is charged with two counts of attempted murder, shooting into an occupied vehicle and assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury, Deputy District Attorney Chandelle Konstanzer said. He faces 43 years to life in prison if convicted, Konstanzer said.

The suspect also has been convicted of throwing rocks at cars on the freeway in the same area, CHP Capt. Rich Stewart said. Investigators do not know exactly where the gunfire in this incident came from, but they do not believe it came from a moving vehicle, he said.

Dragasits had been linked to the freeway shooting by DNA evidence found on bullet casings, Stewart said.

Judge Melinda Lasater will decide if there is enough evidence for Dragasits to stand trial at the end of the preliminary hearing.

City News Service contributed to this report.