Sacramento Stalker Shooting Leads to Highway 50 Standoff and Fatal Self-Inflicted Gunshot

At approximately 3 p.m. on Tuesday, 22-year-old Rohit Rohit entered the parking lot of a Panera Bread at Howe and Northrop avenues in Sacramento, confronted a 38-year-old woman, and shot her multiple times, delivering a close-range headshot. Witnesses reported the incident, Rohit fled, and officers used a license-plate reader to locate his vehicle on Highway 50. After refusing to exit the car, Rohit died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

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The woman first learned she was being tracked in January when she discovered an Apple AirTag hidden under her car’s hood. Over the following months Rohit deflated her tire, followed her to work, obtained a copy of her apartment key, and entered her home while she slept. She later filed a restraining order after deputies documented Rohit leaving grocery items at her door on July 29.

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• January – Woman discovers AirTag; stalking begins.

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• Months following – Tire deflation, key copying, home entry.

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• July 29 – Deputies document Rohit dropping groceries at the woman’s door, breaching the restraining order.

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• Approximately 3 p.m., Tuesday – Shooting in Panera parking lot; victim pronounced dead at the scene.

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• Minutes later – License-plate image shared; vehicle located near Highway 50 and Watt Avenue.

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• Shortly after – Standoff on Highway 50; Rohit refuses to exit and dies from a self-inflicted gunshot.

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• Following day – Highway 50 closed for more than nine hours, reopening shortly before 9:20 a.m.

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• Victim: 38-year-old woman (identity not released).

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• Perpetrator: 22-year-old Rohit Rohit.

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• Highway 50 closure: over nine hours.

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• Agencies involved: Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, California Highway Patrol, Citrus Heights Police Department, Sacramento Regional Transit.

Fatal Highway 50 shooting closes freeway, snarls Citrus Heights traffic – Citrus Heights Sentinel

• Sheriff Jim Cooper said deputies tracked the suspect within minutes using witness information and the Flock license-plate-reader system.

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• Lt. Amar Gandhi noted the stalking began after the AirTag incident and that the victim obtained a restraining order after deputies’ encouragement.

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• The sheriff’s office said it was unclear whether the victim knew Rohit or was a Panera customer or employee.

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• CHP described an earlier nighttime pursuit on Highway 50 that ended with spike strips; the driver of that vehicle was also shot and later died.

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The case highlights the lethal potential of technology-enabled stalking and the difficulty of enforcing restraining orders. It also shows how inter-agency coordination—license-plate readers, drones, rapid information sharing—can locate a fleeing suspect. The Highway 50 shutdown disrupted commuter traffic across Sacramento and surrounding communities.

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• The sheriff’s office has not released the victim’s name or confirmed any personal relationship between her and Rohit.

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• It remains unclear whether a firearm was recovered from Rohit’s vehicle after the standoff.

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The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office and CHP continue to investigate the shooting and the preceding stalking case. No additional public details or scheduled actions have been announced.

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