Current:Home > Contact-usMan charged with assault in random shootings on Seattle freeway-LoTradeCoin
Man charged with assault in random shootings on Seattle freeway
View Date:2024-12-23 16:16:59
SEATTLE (AP) — A 44-year-old man accused of randomly shooting at vehicles on Interstate 5 south of Seattle, injuring six people including one critically, was charged with five counts of assault, King County prosecutors said Thursday.
The Washington State Patrol says Eric Jerome Perkins shot at three cars driving north on I-5 at around 8:30 p.m. Monday, and at three more vehicles heading south several hours later. People in all but one of the cars were injured. He’s being held in the King County jail on a $1 million bail and is scheduled for arraignment on Sept. 19.
“The defendant fired indiscriminately at multiple vehicles as he drove the busy freeways in the Seattle and Tacoma areas,” Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Stephen Herschkowitz said in his request for a high bail. “He is responsible for causing several of the victims to sustain critical, life-threatening injuries.”
Perkins has a criminal history in California that includes two burglary convictions, two receiving stolen goods convictions and one count of threatening with intent to terrorize and obstruct, Herschkowitz said.
Messages left with the King County Department of Public Defense seeking comment were not immediately returned.
Perkins claimed that people were “stealing his identity, making threats and following him,” so he “took matters into his own hands” and shot at cars to get them to “back off,” Washington State Patrol Detective Russell Haake said in a court filing.
Perkins told Trooper Kameron Watts that he tried to get help from the Tacoma and Fircrest police departments, but when that failed, he feared for his life and borrowed a Glock 40 handgun from a friend, the filing said. He told the trooper that he shot at the cars because they were trying to box him in.
The first victim was driving a 2022 Tesla northbound on I-5 Monday night when he noticed a white 2001 Volvo with California plates moving erratically. He called 911 but the Volvo driver fired two shots into a rear door, striking a passenger in the torso, critically injuring her.
Soon after, another driver reported hearing two pops before their window shattered, cutting the man’s wife. A third driver called 911 a minute later saying he heard two shots and that his passenger had been struck by a bullet in the lower back. He was taken to the hospital.
Two hours later, the Volvo driver shot into the passenger door of a 2022 Kia carrying three adults and two children, Haake said. The bullet struck two of the adults in the leg. A few minutes later, another person called the state patrol to say someone had shot at her, breaking her side windows. At 11:01 p.m., another Tesla driver reported being shot in the neck.
At about 12:40 a.m. Tuesday, officers located the Volvo and took Perkins into custody without incident. They found a handgun between the center console and front passenger seat, the detective said.
veryGood! (8)
Related
- Cruise ship rescues 4 from disabled catamaran hundreds of miles off Bermuda, officials say
- Valerie Bertinelli re-wears her 'fat clothes' from weight loss ad: 'Never felt more beautiful'
- Youngkin administration says unknown number of eligible voters were wrongly removed from rolls
- Two adopted children found locked in West Virginia barn with no water; adults charged with neglect
- Denzel Washington teases retirement — and a role in 'Black Panther 3'
- College football bowl projections: Michigan now top of the playoff ahead of Georgia
- MLB playoffs highlights: Phillies, D-backs win to cap off postseason's opening day
- NYC student sentenced to 1 year in Dubai prison over airport altercation, group says
- Fire crews on both US coasts battle wildfires, 1 dead; Veterans Day ceremony postponed
- 'Ahsoka' finale recap: Zombies, witches, a villainous win and a 'Star Wars' return home
Ranking
- The boy was found in a ditch in Wisconsin in 1959. He was identified 65 years later.
- 2030 World Cup set to be hosted by Spain-Portugal-Morocco with 3 South American countries added
- Defense attorney claims 'wrong man' on trial in 2022 slayings of New Hampshire couple
- A test case of another kind for the Supreme Court: Who can sue hotels over disability access
- Bluesky has added 1 million users since the US election as people seek alternatives to X
- The speed of fame almost made Dan + Shay split up. This is how they made it through
- Suspect at large after five people injured in shooting at Morgan State University
- Abercrombie & Fitch ex-CEO Mike Jeffries accused of exploiting men for sex through organized operation
Recommendation
-
Will Reeve, son of Christopher Reeve, gets engaged to girlfriend Amanda Dubin
-
The world's oldest mummies are decomposing after 7,000 years. Here's why.
-
Woman who planned robbery of slain college student while friend posed as stranded motorist convicted of murder
-
‘Tiger King’ animal trainer ‘Doc’ Antle gets suspended sentence for wildlife trafficking in Virginia
-
Walmart Planned to Remove Oven Before 19-Year-Old Employee's Death
-
Google wants to make your email inbox less spammy. Here's how.
-
Why SZA Says Past Fling With Drake Wasn't Hot and Heavy
-
Woman who planned robbery of slain college student while friend posed as stranded motorist convicted of murder