KING COUNTY, Wash. — The man accused of randomly shooting at multiple cars on Interstate 5 in south King County earlier this month made his first court appearance Thursday.
Marco Ramos Valdez, 28, pleaded not guilty in King County court. Valdez is facing two counts of first-degree assault. Both charges include a firearm enhancement. He remains in King County Jail on $1 million bail. His next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 8.
Authorities have been investigating multiple shootings on south King County highways that happened earlier this month. A driver in one of the shootings was struck in the neck by a bullet around 9:20 p.m. on Dec. 6 and treated at Harborview Medical Center. Probable cause documents said the victim's wife, who is six months pregnant, was in the passenger seat of the car and called 911. She was not injured in the shooting.
This shooting happened on southbound I-5, north of South 320th Street in Federal Way. The other shooting Valdez is charged in connection with happened on northbound I-5 near exit 153 in Southcenter around 9:40 p.m. on Dec. 6. The victim was not physically injured, but a bullet struck his car. He also witnessed Valdez reportedly driving "all over the roadway" in a light blue Nissan 370z before the shooting.
Investigators said Valdez fired at least two shots. WSP believes, based on the timing of three of the other shootings, that the suspect may have been involved in a total of six shootings.
WSP connected Valdez to two of the shootings based on vehicle and suspect descriptions by witnesses and traffic cameras.
According to court documents, Valdez claims he was on meth during the shootings on the night of Dec. 6 and early morning hours of Dec. 7. He told police he had been hearing voices that told him the vehicles around him were a danger to him. When asked if he may have been shooting at those cars, he said, "Yes."
Valdez was arrested during a traffic stop on the night of Dec. 7, where troopers found a semi-automatic handgun, loose ammunition and spent shell casings in the back of his vehicle.