Suspect in custody in series of shootings along I-5 in Washington state, police say

By Melissa Alonso, Andy Rose and Steve Almasy, CNN

(CNN) — A suspect is in custody after a series of shootings left a half dozen people injured along parts of Interstate 5 in the Seattle and Tacoma areas of Washington state, officials said, expressing outrage people were randomly attacked while just driving on a highway.

One of the gunshot victims from Monday night’s shootings is fighting for their life, Capt. Ron Mead of the Washington State Patrol said at a Tuesday afternoon news conference.

”These people didn’t do something to deserve this,” Mead told reporters.

The suspect was taken into custody early Tuesday after law enforcement officers in Pierce County located a white Volvo they were searching for, Mead said.

The arrested suspect was compliant, according to a statement from the Pierce County sheriff’s office, which posted a video from a deputy’s bodycam of the arrest.

The suspect was evaluated at a hospital and then transferred to the King County jail, where they are accused of first-degree assault, according to state patrol communications director Chris Loftis. He said the investigation is ongoing and they would not speculate on the alleged assailant’s motive or mental state.

Officials did not name the suspect. CNN has reached out to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for information.

The suspect’s vehicle has been identified by victims in four of the six shootings, authorities said. Three of Monday’s shootings were on Interstate 5 northbound near Seattle while another three were in the southbound lanes to the south of the city, with one in Pierce County.

Five people were hit by gunfire and another person had abrasions from flying glass, according to Loftis.

Two women injured in different shootings were taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for treatment. One is in intensive care in serious condition and the second is listed in serious condition, hospital spokesperson Susan Gregg told CNN earlier Tuesday. Seattle Fire Department spokesperson Kaila Lafferty said one of the victims is 20 years old.

A person who drove to Portland, Oregon, called the state patrol and said they were in the area of one of the shootings but didn’t realize their vehicle had been shot until they got home. No one was hurt in that incident, Loftis said, adding the people were returning to Seattle to talk with investigators.

“This is an attack not only on those innocent victims, but really on all of us as a society because it creates a fear in our transportation system that is unacceptable,” Mead said.

The shootings follow a recent increase in gun-related incidents on roadways in King County, which includes Seattle, according to CNN affiliate KING.

There were 577 calls reporting a roadway crime involving a gun – including the brandishing of a firearm – between February 2023 and February 2024, KING reported, citing data from the Washington State Patrol. It’s a 70% increase from the number of incidents reported between March 2019 and March 2020, the outlet said.

Speakers at Tuesday’s news conference made references to six shootings on area freeways in December but said there isn’t any evidence – at this point – that the suspect is tied to those or any other incidents.

Suspect was tracked to apartment complex

Authorities tracked the suspect – who has not yet been named – to an apartment complex in Tacoma, Sgt. Darren Moss Jr. of the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department told CNN. After the suspect left the complex, officers used stop sticks to disable the vehicle, Moss said.

A deputy ordered the suspect to walk backward with his hands up and then lay flat on his stomach, body camera video released by the sheriff’s department shows. As he was handcuffed, a voice that appeared to be the suspect’s twice said, “I’m not resisting.”

Traffic on southbound Interstate 5 just south of 320th Street in Federal Way was stopped briefly while troopers looked for evidence on the roadway, according to the state patrol.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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CNN’s David Williams contributed to this report.