Suspect arrested in Phoenix-area freeway shootings

PHOENIX – A suspect was arrested Friday in a string of shootings that have kept drivers on edge for weeks as vehicles were struck with seemingly random gunfire as they drove down Phoenix freeways.

The 21-year-old man was arrested at a Wal-Mart in Glendale, a suburb west of Phoenix, about 7 p.m., said Daniel Scarpinato, a spokesman for Gov. Doug Ducey.

Frank Milstead, director of the Arizona Department of Public Safety, announced the arrest at a news conference two hours later, saying a suspect was arrested in four of the 11 shootings. He said the investigation continues.

“Are there others out there? Are there copycats? That is possible,” Milstead said.

Milstead said the suspect was arrested in the first four shootings, which took place Aug. 29 and 30. The agency says the man faces a range of charges that include criminal endangerment, assault and unlawful discharge of a firearm. Milstead has previously called the incidents “domestic terrorism crimes.”

“We got him!” Ducey tweeted. “Great work by Arizona DPS investigators and SWAT team.”

Since Aug. 29, there have been 11 confirmed shootings of vehicles in the Phoenix area involving bullets or other projectiles. Most occurred along Interstate 10, a major route through the city. The Wal-Mart where the suspect was arrested is 6 miles north of where some of the shootings on I-10 occurred.

There have been no serious injuries, though a 13-year-old girl’s ear was cut by glass after a bullet shattered a window of a vehicle she was riding in.

There has not been a confirmed shooting in the case since Sept. 10.

The shootings have prompted several school districts to keep their buses off freeways.

Authorities offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case. They distributed thousands of fliers in neighborhoods along the freeway this week to raise awareness about the shootings and the reward, but they have been tight-lipped about any details in the case.

The Department of Public Safety said state troopers have stepped up patrols, while other agencies assisting in the investigation have included Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa police as well as the FBI and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Meanwhile Friday, a judge ordered the release of a 19-year-old man who was detained at a convenience store on Sept. 11. Authorities have declined to explain why the man was questioned about the shootings, but they have said he was not a prime suspect.