7 Hit In Tuesday Rock-Throwing Incident; WSP Makes Another Arrest

SEATTLE — Seven vehicles were struck by rocks and other debris thrown along westbound Interstate 90 in Seattle on Tuesday afternoon, and state troopers arrested a man believed to be responsible, according to Washington State Patrol. The latest incident follows a recent uptick in similar incidents on I-90 and I-5 in recent months, including two reports early Tuesday morning and four cars hit in the same area on Sunday.

In a news briefing near the scene Tuesday, Trooper Chase Van Cleave said WSP had received more than 200 reports of rocks or debris thrown onto the freeway in King County since the beginning of the year.

"This has been happening very frequently over the last month, month and a half," he said. "The State Patrol is continuing to dedicate extra resources, patrols, troopers — we've worked with our aviation [team] to have them out here, and we've partnered with our allied agencies within this area to ramp up patrols and try and bring this issue to an end."

According to Van Cleave, the latest calls came in just before 4 p.m. as witnesses reported several vehicles struck on westbound I-90 near Rainier Avenue South. Van Cleave said two people inside a semi-truck that was hit chased down a suspect, and a trooper responding to a separate call in the area successfully made the arrest. The man accused in Tuesday's incident was identified only as a 31-year-old Seattle man.

Van Cleave said the man accused in Tuesday's incident was the fifth person arrested since WSP began emphasis patrols in the area, and the multi-agency response will continue until it is no longer necessary.

"We're not gonna celebrate in any way, shape, or form that we've solved this," Van Cleave said. "We're gonna continue our patrols, we're gonna continue the emphasis until we know that the people that are driving on these roadways are safe."

Washington State Patrol is working with Seattle officials and the Washington State Department of Transportation to implement solutions to prevent further incidents.