LATHROP, Calif — The driver of an Amazon big rig that drove off Interstate 5 and crashed into a building in Lathrop Thursday has died, according to the San Joaquin County Medical Examiner’s Office.
They’re identifying the driver as 37-year-old Ilkhom Shodiev, of Charlotte, N.C.
CHP says the driver was shot on I-5 before going off the roadway. That was around 12:48 p.m. Thursday. The truck also hit two parked cars — nobody else was injured.
Marcelo Lopez witnessed the crash, but not what led up to it.
“It was a normal day; we were driving down the freeway, heading home from work… All of a sudden, I just saw this diesel go off the freeway, plow down through a fence, go in up into a parking lot and push a car — smash a car into a building,” he said. “I didn’t see any cars acting funny or anything. It just went off the road. I thought maybe it was a medical issue.”
He later learned, along with the rest of the community, the driver had been shot on I-5 and died as a result.
“It’s terrible. I mean, that’s a working man,” said Lopez. “You don’t believe it. You’re like, ‘Oh my gosh. How can people act like this and do this?’”
In law enforcement scanner audio from around the time of the incident, a dispatcher can be heard saying, "getting reports that this was possible a shot fired incident, with the big rig going off the freeway. The suspect vehicle... a [reporting party] saw a grey gun come out of the passenger side window of a car... Unknown driver."
The California Highway Patrol tells ABC10 it doesn’t have any information to share on a shooting suspect or their vehicle, but that they are asking possible witnesses for help.
In a Facebook post, CHP writes — “If you were driving Northbound on I-5 between SR-120 and Louise Ave (in Lathrop), between the hours of 12:30pm and 1:00pm, on 6/15, and have a dash cam, we need your HELP. Any footage of this area during this time frame could be helpful and we would ask that you contact CHP Valley Division Investigative Services Unit.”
Lopez went to CHP with video he took right after the truck crashed into the building.
“I’m encouraging anybody to report it, try to help this man that unfortunately lost his life working,” said Lopez.
The truck was emblazoned with the Amazon logo, so ABC10 reached out to Amazon for a statement.
Amazon spokesperson Alisa Carroll said, "We're very sorry to hear about his passing and our thoughts are with his family during this difficult time. We’re continuing to cooperate with law enforcement as they investigate this incident."
There were no Amazon packages on the truck at the time of the crash, the company says.
The trailer belonged to Amazon. The truck was with a third-party contractor called Patriot Transportation, Inc.