It happened on a normal Tuesday, June 14 at 5 p.m. Leaving work in San Leandro and headed eastbound on Interstate 580, Garrett Mason and fiancée Tina Do found themselves in the middle of a shootout as a vehicle cut them off as another tailed them. A bullet came through the front windshield and exited through the rear window, shattering glass. A dashboard camera captured the encounter.
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"Maybe within 15 seconds of getting on the freeway, the first vehicle shot back at the second vehicle lined up on the freeway," Mason said.
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"He heard a few rounds at that point and when it hit the front windshield- I thought it was a rock. I didn't know it was a bullet at all. I was literally feeling my body making sure nothing else was hurt. We had minor scratches," Do said.
Police told them that freeway shootings weren't uncommon- more than 80 freeway shootings in the Bay Area in the last four years.
"Really the only rare part of the scenario is the bullet went right past her face," Mason said.
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They processed what happened for two weeks. Then posted on Instagram which blew up overnight. They recovered their insurance deductible through a GoFundMe account and then took it down.
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"I grew up in the South Bay so it's like my family is all here. And hearing that story about how on 880 not that long ago about a two year old boy. Now that it's like personally hit me and you don't want it to affect anyone else. It's really disappointing it's happening in our hometown," Do said through her tears.
The couple bantered back and forth. "Unfortunately we were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Also luck at the right time. People have commented if you were a second faster in your car or a second slower how could that have changed where the bullet went. But we can't think too much about the what ifs. It's just where we're at. So we can say we literally dodged a bullet."
The couple is trying to put the shooting behind them as they plan for their December wedding.