I-90 brick-throwing suspect ‘could be’ same man who threw rocks at drivers in June

The man who threw a brick into a truck on Interstate 90 (I-90) Tuesday morning “very well could be” the same man in a similar attack on drivers exiting onto Rainier Avenue last month, the Washington State Patrol said.

A driver whose truck was hit told authorities a man was standing beside the freeway around 4 a.m. Tuesday and threw a brick into his truck’s windshield as he passed the Rainier Avenue exit. Photos of the Isuzu box truck showed a hole in the middle of the windshield and a brick sitting inside the cabin.

Witnesses needed ! pic.twitter.com/Rhb9A7FKWQ

— Trooper Rick Johnson (@wspd2pio) July 10, 2024

The driver had minor injuries with just a “scrape on the driver’s right arm,” a WSP press release said.

Troopers went to the scene but couldn’t find the suspect, who was only described as “a male in all black with a hat on.”

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Couple faces similar rock-throwing attack on I-90

About one month prior, a couple getting off I-90 onto Rainier Avenue South told KIRO 7 they experienced a similar attack, with a man throwing a rock down onto their car from the trail passing above the exit ramp.

It reportedly happened around the same time of day as Tuesday’s attack, about 5 a.m. on June 6.

“It shook the car, scared me and I was like ‘What was that?'” Kayli Behrens told KIRO 7.

The couple was frustrated at what they felt was a lack of urgency from Seattle police. The couple said they were told they had to call state patrol because of its jurisdiction over the freeway. In an Instagram post, Denali Liston – who was driving with Behrens at the time – said he was confused as he just called 911.

“I’m still terrified that (the suspect) is still out there,” Behrens said.

King County Communications Center told KIRO 7 it never received a call from the couple about the rock throwing. Trooper Rick Johnson told KIRO Newsradio that WSP is investigating and the drivers did the right thing in calling 911.

When asked whether the two attacks could be linked, Johnson said investigators have not yet found any evidence of it, but that they “very well could be” connected.

“We track all of this, state, location,” Johnson said, adding that investigators believe it is a single suspect in each attack.

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Since January 2024, Johnson said there have been about 80 reports from drivers on King County highways where rocks or debris hit their cars. He noted that this statistic also includes possibly unintentional debris landing on vehicles from the roads. Separating that data from intentionally thrown rocks, bricks or other debris would require further in-depth analysis of each report, he added, saying tracking is complicated by drivers who do not want to be contacted after making the initial report.

Johnson said troopers are planning to increase patrols in the area in hopes of catching the suspect.

In the meantime, any driver who sees a suspicious person by the highway is urged to call 911.

Contributing: Louie Tran, KIRO 7 

You can read more of Sam Campbell’s stories here. Follow Sam Campbell on X or email him here.

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