Softball-Sized Rock Thrown Into Moving Vehicle on Highway 111

A rock the size of a softball was thrown into a moving vehicle on Highway 111 in Palm Springs and smashed through the rear passenger window, barely missing the driver's 6-year-old daughter as she slept, police reported.

Palm Springs police officers were dispatched at 1:07 a.m. to the highway, one quarter mile north of Gateway Drive. The victim, an Orange County resident, told officers she was driving at 50 miles per hour into Palm Springs with her daughters, ages 6 and 13, asleep, Palm Springs police Lt. Mike Kovaleff said.

The rock ended up wedged into the right rear seat about an inch above the younger girl's head. The impact caused a minor cut to one of her feet, Kovaleff said.

Officers found several rocks in both the northbound and southbound lanes of Highway 111. Police recovered some evidence and suspect the rock-throwers have run to a nearby gated community, he said.

But no suspects were found, Kovaleff said.

Officers asked anyone with information about the crime to call the Palm Springs Police Department at 760-323-8115 or Valley Crime Stoppers at 760-341-7867.

—City News Service