California Youth Softball Games Disrupted by Separate Gunfire and High-Speed Chase Incidents

Imagine going to a local ballfield to enjoy a night of youth softball when chaos erupts.

That is what happened in Southern California on two separate occasions recently when youth games were interrupted by gunfire and a high-speed chase.

Fortunately, nobody was injured. However, the horrific memory might stick with some children for quite some time.

Sorensen Park in Whittier was where a reckelss driver sped through the outfield. Video footage posted online shows an SUV zig-zagging its way across the field before eventually driving off down a side street.

In the video, several adults appear to be chasing the vehicle, perhaps trying to capture a license plate. Others ran for safety.

In Riverside, parents and children sprinted for cover after someone began shooting a rifle nearby.

The shots fired initially sounded like fireworks until several people at the park realized that wasn't the case.

Roxana Portillo, a parent who had two daughters playing, spoke to CBS News about the incident that terrified her family.

"You know, grandmas and grandpas and mothers and dads fearing for their kids' lives," Portillo said. "We're having fun, kids are having fun. This is what it's supposed to be, kids having fun — not expecting something like that will happen."

Video of the incident shows several players freezing and others sprinting away.

"I stood up because we were sitting down watching," Portillo said. "The girls stood up. I asked my husband and he was like 'No, those are not fireworks."

Law enforcement didn't immediately find the shooter but did recover shell casings.

Luckily, none of the kids were injured. There were also several other children at a nearby playground.

"It's one thing to shoot at somebody for whatever reason, but you're doing it with the backdrop of a park," Officer Ryan Railsback told CBS News.

Social Media Reactions

Each incident received several reactions. The video of the SUV was seen more than 2 million times on Facebook and accumulated more than 1,000 comments.

Shauna Shaw left a comment stating that she was on the field when the car drove past her.

"That was me in the out field," Shaw commented. "She almost ran me over and banged on me, she was a tweaked out broad and banged “South side Whittier” crazy that if all places and days, this happened when we were there! Thank god we are all ok!!!!"

Neither incident should have happened and thankfully, nobody was hurt.