BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A trucker accused of opening fire at passing vehicles on Taft Highway at Interstate 5 shot at a vehicle containing two children inside, according to reports filed by sheriff’s investigators.
Kurt Sibila, 53, admitted firing eight or nine rounds from a handgun the morning of Feb. 11, claiming he was shooting back at unknown assailants, according to the court filings. Investigators said no evidence was found of any shooter other than Sibila. A man reported he was shot in the leg, filings say.
Held on $3.1 million bail, Sibila has pleaded not guilty to six counts of attempted murder, a single count of child cruelty and two counts of shooting at an occupied vehicle. He’s due back in court Feb. 24.
Spent .45-caliber shell casings were found in the area. A search of Sibila’s semi-truck turned up a 12-gauge shotgun, four boxes of 12-gauge ammunition and multiple magazines containing .45-caliber ammunition, according to the filings.
The truck had a Wisconsin license plate and Sibila’s wallet contained military identification and a Wisconsin identification card. Sibila told investigators he was an airborne Ranger and had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
“I explained to Sibila that we did not locate any shell casings besides the ones he fired and in the video surveillance no one was seen chasing him or shooting at him,” an investigator wrote. “Sibila became extremely upset over the incident. Sibila would go back and forth about being sorry about what he put people through and saying he was not crazy and people were shooting at him.”
