BY CARLOS SANTOS
Richmond Times-Dispatch Staff Writer

CHARLOTTESVILLE -  Police presence will be increased today and tomorrow along the I-64 corridor where at least two suspects fired randomly at cars from the side of the road and from an overpass early this morning.

Two drivers sustained very minor injuries.

State Police Superintendent Steven Flaherty cautioned motorists on I-64 to be watchful. "I think everybody needs to be observant,'' said Flaherty. "We all need to be cautious...I think they (the shooters) could still be in the area.’’

Flaherty said he has a "strategy'' to deal with the potential of more shootings in addition to bolstering police numbers, but he declined to reveal it.

Police believe more than one person was involved in the shootings based on what witnesses saw at the site of one shooting, Flaherty said. They have no suspects, however.

Police closed about 20 miles of the interstate from Charlottesville to near Waynesboro in Augusta County for six hours Thursday morning after receiving multiple reports of gunshots being fired starting at around midnight. Police are still uncertain how many shots were fired or the duration of the shooting. “We just don’t have a good feel for how long it went on,’’ said Flaherty.

Few vehicles were on the road at that time of night, police said. One driver, a man, sustained an injury to his neck either from a bullet fragment or flying glass. The other injured driver, a woman, sustained a minor injury to her shoulder possibly from debris thrown by the bullet penetrating her vehicle. Both were treated and released at the Augusta Medical Center in Fishersville. Police refused to identify the two injured people, citing the ongoing investigation.

The shootings occurred at three different locations along the interstate. One vehicle was struck by bullets as it drove onto the westbound ramp at the Ivy exit just west of Charlottesville at mile marker 114. Three other vehicles were struck in the westbound lane from a sniper shooting from the Rt. 690 overpass near the 106 mile marker. That overpass is about 10 miles from the Ivy exit.

A fifth vehicle, belonging to the Virginia Department of Transportation, was also struck by bullets while parked at the VDOT maintenance yard at Yancey Mills off of U.S. 250 which parallels the interstate. The VDOT truck was unoccupied.

State Police are investigating the possibility that a sixth vehicle, also travelling westbound, was struck by shots this morning.

Corinne Geller, a spokeswoman for the state police, said investigators were interviewing the driver.

“There could be more as word about these shootings gets out,’’ said Geller. “People traveling through that area may not hear the news until this evening...They may realize their cars were shot at.’’

In addition police in Waynesboro are looking to see if there is a link between the interstate shootings and shots fired at a closed bank in downtown Wanyesboro, Geller said. The shots fired at the bank building occurred sometime Thursday morning.

Each vehicle is being treated like a crime scene, said State Police  Sgt. Dave Cooper.  He said the interstate was closed down after police received a second call from a motorist who had been shot at.

The closing of the interstate backed up traffic for miles as police, using dogs and a helicopter began a massive hunt for the shooters.

Bryan McKenzie of the Charlotteville Daily Progress contributed to this report, along withTimes-Dispatch Staff Writers Ed Kelleher and Michael Martz.