A 44-year-old man has been charged with five counts of assault after allegedly randomly shooting at vehicles on Interstate 5 south of Seattle, injuring six individuals, one of whom is in critical condition, according to King County prosecutors. The accused, Eric Jerome Perkins, is said to have shot at three northbound cars around 8:30 p.m. and at three southbound vehicles several hours later. All but one of the cars were hit, resulting in injuries. Perkins is currently being held in King County jail on a $1 million bail and is set for arraignment on Sept. 19.
“The defendant fired indiscriminately at multiple vehicles as he drove the busy freeways in the Seattle and Tacoma areas,” said Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Stephen Herschkowitz in his request for a high bail. Herschkowitz also mentioned that Perkins has a criminal record in California, with convictions for burglary, receiving stolen goods, and threatening with intent to terrorize and obstruct.
Perkins apparently claimed that he believed people were stealing his identity, threatening him, and following him, so he decided to take action by shooting at cars to make them “back off,” as noted in a court filing from Washington State Patrol Detective Russell Haake. Perkins reportedly tried seeking help from local police departments but turned to a borrowed handgun when that failed, fearing for his life.
The first reported victim was driving a Tesla on I-5 when a Volvo with California plates began driving erratically and fired shots, critically injuring a passenger. Additional incidents followed with drivers reporting gunshots and damages to their vehicles. Eventually, officers located the Volvo and arrested Perkins without resistance, discovering a handgun in the car during the arrest.
