Man charged with assault in random shootings on Seattle freeway

Associated Press

SEATTLE (AP) — A 44-year-old man accused of randomly shooting at vehicles on Interstate 5 near Seattle has been charged with five counts of assault. Six people were injured in the shootings Monday evening, including one who is critically hurt. Eric Jerome Perkins is accused of shooting at three cars driving north on I-5 and three others heading south. Perkins was charged Thursday. He’s being held on a $1 million bail and is scheduled for arraignment Sept. 19. A state patrol detective says Perkins believed people were “stealing his identity, making threats and following him,” so he shot at cars to get them to “back off.”