At least 2 people hurt after large rocks thrown at cars driving on I-90 in Washington
MERCER ISLAND, Wash. - At least two people were hurt when rocks or large pieces of concrete were thrown at cars on Interstate 90 in Western Washington.
According to the Mercer Island Fire Department, firefighters responded to two different calls Tuesday night of rocks hitting cars on I-90 near the Mount Baker Tunnel in Seattle.
Witnesses told Washington State Patrol a man with a black backpack was seen throwing the rocks.
One of the drivers hit made it to Mercer Island where they could safely pull over and call 911.
Firefighters said people inside the cars were injured in both cases. One person was taken to the hospital.
Trooper Rick Johnson said not only is the malicious mischief dangerous, it is a felony since people were hurt.
"You have glass, you have somebody that’s obviously going to be startled and it can even go beyond the damage caused by whatever is being thrown. It can cause a collision," said Johnson.
An image shared by the fire department showed serious damage to the windshield of one of the cars.
Johnson said so far in 2021, there are 46 reported incidents of debris flying onto the freeway, with most of them happening in the downtown Seattle area. WSP arrested one person in April who was experiencing a mental health crisis and throwing debris onto the freeway.
"Pay attention to your surroundings, be observant when you’re driving," said Johnson. "You don’t want to have to be concerned with things like this, but we want to fully investigate these. Obviously we’re not everywhere when these things happen. We get there as quickly as we can. But any additional information would be the most helpful to us so we can hopefully start finding who is doing this."
If something like this happens to you or you witness it, WSP is asking you to call 911 as soon as possible--either from the shoulder of the road or from the closet location where you feel safe. They encourage you to get descriptive details where the incident occurred so troopers can easily find you and potentially the suspect.
Troopers are reviewing witness statements for any additional leads in this investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call WSP or Seattle police.
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