Car apparently shot by pellet gun on Eisenhower Expressway

MAYWOOD, Ill. (WLS) -- Dr. Brad Schubert is grateful he wasn't hurt, but says it could have been worse after it appears he was shot at with a pellet gun while driving on the Eisenhower Expressway.

"You kind of don't know if anything else in going to happen or where it came from so it was a little scary," Dr. Schubert said.

The incident happened around 6 p.m. Wednesday night as the vascular surgeon traveled on the outbound Ike in the far left lane near 17th Avenue when he says he heard "pop, pop, pop."

"I heard a hard sound on the car like rocks or something from a truck hitting the hood or the front windshield," Dr. Schubert said.

When he looked to see if there was a truck anywhere near him, he noticed what looked like three holes in his car's passenger windows.

"If they were something that had more force and able to penetrate through the one window, the one in the front passenger side would have hit me in the face or the chest," Dr. Schubert said.

Schubert called 911 and pulled off to safety. Illinois State Police are continuing to investigate the matter. It is unclear if the damage was caused by a projectile or some type of metal debris on the road.

While authorities say there's no indication of road rage, this week's incident becomes one of over a dozen expressway shooting incidents reported this year.

According to the Illinois State Police, there have been 14 expressway shooting incidents since January 2014 on area expressways, including two fatalities.

Officials say incidents like these are hard to prevent, but encourage motorists to remember the location and call 911, and get to safety by pulling over or exiting the roadway.

Dr. Schubert says repair estimates for the new car he bought just two days before the incident could be costly. Still, he says he won't stop driving on the expressway.

"But probably be a little more observant as to who's next to me and if there's anything fishy going on," Dr. Schubert said.