Neighborhood Blames Bridge For Increase In Crime, Deadly Stabbing
By Abbott Dutton
SACRAMENTO COUNTY (CBS13) — Residents blame an increase in crime and the death of one of their neighbors on a pedestrian bridge they say is bringing criminals right to their doorsteps.
The entrance to the pedestrian bridge in the old Foothill Farms area of Sacramento County is actually tucked between two houses. The neighbors call it the catwalk and say it's out of date and needs to go.
Flowers still hang from the entrance to the pedestrian bridge where 41-year-old Christopher Dwillis was killed on Jan. 9. Grainy surveillance video shows the suspects who police say stabbed Dwillis multiple times after he confronted the vandals who were slashing tires near his home.
Dwayne View and some of his neighbors are banding together on social media site to try to find a solution for the pedestrian bridge that crosses over Interstate 80 and into their backyards. He says they've seen an increase in burglaries, drug problems, and now a homicide.
"If somebody's gonna commit a crime and they can stage it so that they can escape across the bridge it buys them about five minutes time from any cars chasing them or cops getting on their case. Or, they can just escape into anonymity or just disappear and that's the problem," he said.
While most agree it's a longshot Caltrans will demolish the bridge, View says there may be other, less-costly solutions.
"Getting it closed down would be easier, but maybe the solution is better lighting, closed circuit cameras and also having the bridge locked at night," he said.
Caltrans says it hasn't received any formal request from neighbors to demolish the pedestrian bridge yet, and if they do, it would be a first.
