KCSO: Man arrested, accused of shooting at people and cars on Hwy. 119 and I-5
Bakersfield, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — UPDATE (11:00 P.M.)
More people are coming forward with their close encounter with the shooter.
Issac Flores and his family made a brief stop at the Chevron gas station on their way to San Francisco from Lancaster.
Flores heard gunshots and saw the alleged shooter, Kurt Silbia, shooting at random cars.
He attempted to find what Silbia was shooting at, when he realized they were in danger.
"I tried to see where he was pointing the gun at," said Flores. "I realized he was pointing the gun at my mom and I panicked."
His mother did not realize this, she was just looking to get some fresh air and walk their dog between stops.
Flores ran towards her direction, warning here about the danger close by.
He told her to hide inside the gas station and alerted the clerk as soon as they got inside.
"She hands me the store keys expecting me to close the door," said Flores. "There are 100 different keys on the key chain, I feel that I am not going to find the door keys."
He hands the keys to someone else and focuses on finding a weapon to defend his family, in case the shooter walks inside.
"At that moment I am just thinking about survival. I've seen so many mass shootings and I don't want to be part of one," said Flores. "I want to protect my family."
A screwdriver and scissors is what Flores arms himself with. As soon as he senses an opportunity to safely escape, he gets his family our of the gas station into their car to flee.
"I told my mom we had to leave. We didn't want to become victims," said Flores.
UPDATE:
An exclusive interview with one of the drivers told us how scary the situation was.
“I was just like get in the car get in the car get in the car get in the car,” said Vanessa Ramos.
This was Vanessa Ramos’ reaction when bullets began to hit her and her family’s car.
On Saturday around 9:30 in the morning, near where Taft Highway and the I-5 meet, KCSO, and CHP received calls saying there was a man shooting at cars and people.
KCSO said 53-year-old Kurt Sibila was walking around near Chevron and AM/PM and allegedly shooting at people and Vanessa Ramos was one of them.
“Just before the shooting happened, we heard gunshots, but we didn’t think anything of it because of the area we always heard gunshots around here,” said Ramos.
She was in the area with her boyfriend who was helping her brother who was stranded on the side of the road.
“We heard another gunshot, but it was closer this time so when we were just looking around and then in front of us like across the gas station, we just see this guy and he’s pointing a gun straight at us and he just starts shooting at us,” said Ramos.
Ramos 6 months pregnant and sitting in the passenger seat reacted fast enough to save her and her loved ones’ lives.
She was able to jump into the driver's seat fast enough to drive away, but Sibila allegedly continued to shoot.
And this time the bullet came closer to Ramos and her loved ones.
“A bullet went into the passenger's back side of my car and hit my boyfriend in the leg,” said Ramos.
Her boyfriend was just grazed by one of the many bullets.
She still can’t believe it all happened.
“He came walking towards us from the street like it didn’t make sense to shoot at us for no reason,” said Ramos.
KCSO arrested Sibila and found a gun they say was used in the shooting.
According to the sheriff's office, one victim suffered minor injuries.
Though no other injuries or damages were reported to KCSO, Ramos is still in shock about how they could dodge the bullets.
“It’s just crazy to think that we're living in a world where anything like that can happen at any time,” said Ramos.
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A man was arrested Saturday morning after KCSO said he was shooting at people and cars near Highway 119 and Interstate 5.
The Kern County Sheriff’s Office said on February 11, 2023, at around 9:24 a.m., KCSO deputies and CHP officers were called to Highway 119 and Interstate 5 for a report of a 53-year-old man armed with a handgun.
KCSO said multiple people reported that a man was pointing a handgun at civilians walking in the area and shooting at vehicles as they drove by.
Deputies and officers with CHP arrived and took the man into custody without incident.
KCSO said during the investigation, deputies found the gun used in the incident.
According to KCSO, one victim received a minor injury during the incident and did not seek medical attention.
The suspect had also shot into an unoccupied vehicle during the incident, according to KCSO.
KCSO said no other injuries or damage were reported.
A woman shares a photo with Eyewitness News of a car struck by a bullet.
KCSO confirms the suspect was Kurt Daniel Sibila. He was arrested and booked into the Central Receiving Facility on numerous charges.
