OTR Trucker Kurt Daniel Sibila, 53, from Wisconsin charged with shooting on I-5 on February 11, pleaded not guilty. Sibila was charged with 6 counts of attempted mured, one count of child cruelty, and 2 counts of shooting at an occupied vehicle. Only by the grace of God, nobody was seriously hurt in this accident.
According to the police report, the accident occurred outside of a Chevron gas station on Taft Highway at Interstate 5 in Bakersfield, California around 9:30 am on Saturday, February 11, 2023. Police received numerous calls reporting an active shooter on foot on the highway near I-5. Sibila was on foot carrying a handgun. He pointed the handgun at pedestrians and opened fire at the vehicles on the road.
The trucker fired at one car with two children inside. Also, he fired and injured the driver of one car in the leg. The wounded driver sustained a minor injury, and this was the only injury in this shooting. Sibila fired eight or nine rounds from the handgun. Several vehicles were hit.
Sibila was arrested by the Kern County Sheriff’s Office and the California Highway Patrol. He did not resist the arrest. In his semi-truck, police investigators found a 12-gauge shotgun, four boxes of 12-gauge ammunition, and several magazines containing .45 caliber ammunition.
The trucker had in his wallet military identification and Wisconsin ID. The truck was registered in Wisconsin. Sibila claimed that he was an airborne Ranger with diagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder. His explanation of the shooting was that he was defending himself from other shooters. Sibila told police that somebody was chasing him and shooting at him.
Investigators checked the surveillance camera and no one was spotted chasing the trucker and no other person carried or shot the gun besides Sibila. Only spent shell casings of .45-caliber from Sibila’s handgun were found on the scene.
Sibila was upset by this information and claimed that he is not crazy. He stated that he saw the attackers who were shooting at him. The trucker has a YouTube channel with videos of his trucker days and experiences. The latest video is posted on February 5, 2023. In this video, Sibila describes the truck driver’s job as very stressful and full of tension.
OTR trucker charged with shooting on I-5 pleaded not guilty to this shooting in Kern County Superior Court and the bond is $3.1 million. The next day in court for Sibila is scheduled for February 24.
