Police said a 73-year-old woman was shot in Boca Raton Wednesday night after she was followed in her car while driving from Broward into Palm Beach County.
The victim suffered wounds to her hand and face.
Officers said at 11 p.m. officers were at a traffic stop around 2000 West Glades Rd. when they were approached by an elderly couple in a car.
The couple told officers they just witnessed a shooting at the intersection of Powerline and Glades roads while stopped at a red light.
Boca Raton police dispatchers called area hospitals to check for possible victims. Delray Medical Center said a 73-year-old victim had just arrived with a gunshot wound.
She told investigators she had left her friend’s apartment at Century Village in Deerfield Beach and was heading home. The victim said she turned from Hillsboro Boulevard onto Powerline Road heading north.
As she approached Palmetto Park Road, she said she noticed a silver Nissan alongside her vehicle and got a strange feeling.
The victim said she continued heading north and stopped at a red light at the intersection of Powerline and Glades roads
The vehicle, which she said was occupied by at least four black men, pulled up in the lane next to her.
She said one of the men exited the vehicle from the front passenger side and tried to get inside her car by pulling on the door handle and pounding on the window.
At that point, the victim said the man pulled out a handgun and fired one shot into the car.
She told police when she saw the gun, she shielded her face. The bullet went through her hand and into her cheek.
The woman immediately drove away while her attackers’ car continued to follow her for a short time.
Police said the men fired at least one more shot at her car before heading east on Yamato Road. The victim then drove directly to Delray Medical Center.
The suspect who fired the shot is described as a black man in his late 20s or early 30s, wearing a light-colored short sleeve shirt, dark shorts, white socks and dark shoes. The suspect vehicle was described as a silver Nissan.
The victim has requested her name not be released, according to Boca Raton police. She was last listed in stable condition.
Police suspect the incident could be related to other crimes, such as recent purse snatchings throughout the entire region and may be originating from Broward County.
Call Detective Tim Kurdys at 561-338-1377 or Palm Beach County Crime Stoppers at (800) 458-TIPS if you can help in the case.
Boca Raton police offer the following tips:
If you believe you are being followed, call 911 immediately and drive toward a well-populated place or police station.
Do not be afraid to change your course of direction to flee from a suspicious vehicle as quickly as you can, in as safe a manner as possible. This may mean taking a quick right hand turn when you had intentioned to go straight ahead.
In parking lots, walk with intent, remaining alert. Do not talk or text while walking; keep your phone accessible to you in a pocket or purse, but don't be distracted by it.
If someone makes you feel uncomfortable, do not be afraid to turn back and return to the populated place you came from, such as the grocery store, and alert someone to your concerns.
