KING COUNTY, Wash. — The man accused of going on an hours-long shooting spree that injured six people along Interstate 5 on Sept. 2 will undergo an evaluation to see if he is competent to enter a plea.
Eric Perkins, 44, is facing five counts of assault with firearm enhancements. On Thursday, a King County judge determined there was sufficient evidence to refer Perkins to a competency evaluation. The court will send a psychologist to meet with Perkins who will then determine if he is competent to enter a plea. He remains in King County Jail on $1 million bail.
As recently as the day before the shootings, court documents show the suspect had been at Tacoma General Hospital “for an evaluation” and that the suspect had recently become homeless.
“The doctors said that I was perfectly sane since nine years old, perfectly sane," Perkins said in court. "Now at 44 years old because of the situation I was put in, and I alerted the police that I was put in a situation, and now they’re trying to say that I have mental problems.”
Video obtained by KING 5 showed the suspect approaching the Fircrest Police Department seeking help. The video was taken just six hours before he was suspected of shooting cars at random.
While in custody, Perkins allegedly said he was trying to get help from police because people were "stealing his identity, making threats and following him," according to the statement of probable cause. He said the threats made him fear for his life, adding "he would take matters of protecting himself into his own hands."
The first shooting was reported at 8:26 p.m. on Sept. 2 when the suspect, driving a white Volvo, fired several rounds at a Tesla, striking a female passenger in her torso. She was taken to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition.
The driver of the Tesla said the shooter was wearing a ski mask.
The shooting spree continued from there, with the suspect leaving behind six crime scenes between 8:26 p.m. and 11 p.m.
Police learned the California license plate on the Volvo was associated with the suspect out of University Place. State troopers and University Place and Fircrest police patrolled the area and eventually found the vehicle - disabling it with spike strips and arresting the driver.
Court documents say Perkins has numerous convictions on his record in California, including check fraud, burglary and forgery.