How Hello Kitty helped arrest a road rage suspect

A cartoon character may have helped Tucson Police track down a suspect in an alleged road rage shooting that wounded two teens. Police say a well known cartoon cat helped identify the suspect’s car. (Credit: KGUN via CNN Newsource)

A cartoon character may have helped Tucson Police track down a suspect in an alleged road rage shooting that wounded two teens. Police say a well known cartoon cat helped identify the suspect’s car.

There were five people on board when someone fired a shot into a truck, according to police. They say the bullet went through the leg of one teenaged girl, kept going and wounded another girl.

The trouble happened near Golf Links and Kolb.

The victims said when they tried to move into the right lane, another car rushed into the spot, and the driver fired a shot into the car.

Police say the victims got a good look at the car’s personalized plate and the Hello Kitty sticker on the back glass. KGUN9 is not showing the sticker from the car. Our story shows how the cartoon cat appears on the site of Sanrio, the company behind Hello Kitty.

Police put the car description into their databases. That led officers to a house less than a mile from where the shooting happened.

There, they arrested 29 year old David Anthony Cedeno. He’s facing ten charges in all, including 5 charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Court documents say he claimed he heard a shot coming from the victims’ car.

Police say they also found a woman named Heather Allen leaving the house as officers arrived. They say she admitted removing the car’s plate and the Hello Kitty sticker.

She said she was in the car with Cedeno at the time of the shooting and did not see or hear anything that suggested a gun in the other car.

As of Friday night Cedeno was still in the Pima County Jail. His bond is set at US$75,000 either cash or secured through a bail bond.