Road rage may be shooting's cause

In an apparent case of road rage, a South Lake Tahoe woman was recovering in an intensive care unit this weekend after surgery for a gunshot wound to the stomach, South Lake Tahoe police said.

Michele Brown, 19, was taken to a Reno hospital via Calstar helicopter Friday night after a man allegedly followed her sedan on Pioneer Trail. She pulled over between Al Tahoe and Ski Run boulevards and rolled down the window as the man approached her car. Then the suspect reached in and shot her with a handgun, Brown told police Saturday from her hospital bed.

A bleeding Brown drove her white Mazda to Keller Road and the Heavenly Valley Apartments, where she lives. Police found out about the attempted murder when her neighbor called at 5:34 p.m.

Although the bullet did not hit vital organs, Brown went into shock in the apartment complex parking lot, drifting in and out of consciousness.

"This is highly unusual. I don't remember an incident like, this resulting in the firing of a weapon," said Sgt. Les Scott, a 25-year member of the force.

Brown was unable to provide police with many details about the shooter. She said he was driving a dark sport utility vehicle. Police have no leads on the suspect.

"All indications are that this person was a stranger to her," Scott said. "Who's to say this guy won't do it again?"

-- Police are asking that anyone with information call the department at (530) 542-6100.