Mission Viejo : Motorist Wounded by Shotgun-Wielding Man

A Mission Viejo man suffered facial cuts early Friday when the Nissan truck he was driving was sprayed with shotgun fire by a man, Orange County sheriff’s deputies said.

Robert Parker, described only as being in his 40s, was listed in good condition at Mission Regional Hospital Medical Center in Mission Viejo as sheriff’s investigators searched the area for the shooting suspect.

Orange County Sheriff’s Lt. Randy Blair said the incident occurred at 5:25 a.m. while Parker was driving to work on Vista del Lago at Los Alisos. Parker told deputies that a man holding a shotgun stepped out from behind a bridge and fired at the truck, shattering its windshield.

Blair said Parker, who is a custodian, drove to a local convenience store to call police and paramedics.

It was not clear whether the facial cuts Parker suffered were from the shotgun or from the broken windshield glass, Blair said.

Sheriff’s investigators used police dogs in an unsuccessful search of the creek area of nearby Wilderness Glen Park. Blair said they are seeking a white male between 25 and 30 years of age and wearing Army fatigue clothing. A gray Volkswagen beetle was seen in the area at the time of the shooting.

Investigators said there is no apparent motive for the shooting. Parker, reached at his hospital room, would not comment on the shooting.