A 20-year-old Colorado woman driving late at night on Wednesday was killed after a rock crashed through her windshield, one of a series of incidents involving rocks allegedly being thrown at drivers, CBS News reports.
Alexa Bartell was driving in Jefferson County near Rocky Flats Wildlife Refuge around 10:45 p.m. when the large rock went through her windshield and struck her.
Bartell was on the phone at the time with a friend, who was able to track the woman’s vehicle to a field. Bartell, of Arvada, died from her injuries.
“This is a 20-year-old female who was driving home from work and she’s no longer with us because of this senseless act,” Jefferson County Sheriff’s spokesperson Jacki Kelley told 9News. “This is not fun and games, this is not a prank; this killed a woman last night and we want to know who did this.”
Those who knew Bartell described her as a caring, reliable and joyful person.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday that it is investigating other reports of rocks being thrown at vehicles in the same vicinity and around the same time. Authorities are exploring whether someone in a vehicle or on the side of the road was throwing the rocks from late Wednesday to early Thursday morning.
Reports of rocks being thrown toward other vehicles span from 10:04 p.m. Wednesday to 12:24 a.m. Thursday. None of the other cases were fatalities, although some drivers were injured.
“We know that these rocks are four to six inches, three to five pounds, so they’re large like landscaping rocks that were essentially used as a deadly weapon in this investigation,” Kelley told 9News.
To report information about the case, call the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office tip line at 303-271-5612.
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[Feature Photo: Alexa Bartell/Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office]
