The suspect in six shootings that occurred over two hours on Sept. 2, beginning on Interstate 5 in Federal Way, was officially charged on Sept. 5 with five counts of first-degree assault, each with a firearm enhancement.

Shortly after the shootings, Eric Perkins was arrested in University Place by a Fircrest police officer and a Washington State Patrol trooper at about 12:40 a.m. Sept. 3.Perkins was associated with a white Volvo S60 with California plates that was reportedly used to carry out the shootings. According to probable cause documents, five people were injured in the shootings.

As of Sept. 11, Perkins is being held on $1 million bail at King County Correctional Facility. If Perkins were to post bail, the charging documents request that he have no new law violations, appear for court when required, maintain an updated address with the court, and have no contact with any of the named victims. Additionally, he should be ordered not to drive and to possess no firearms. His next court appearance is his arraignment on Sept. 19.

“Not only was the defendant’s conduct dangerous to the motorists (and their passengers) who were shot, it is very fortunate that the defendant’s actions did not cause serious traffic accidents, which would have injured many more individuals. WSP is still getting reports from people who are just now discovering that their vehicles were hit by bullets fired by the defendant,” the charging documents said. “Because of this random, extremely dangerous shooting event coupled with the fact he has out of state convictions and his housing and ties to the community status is unknown, the state requests bail be maintained at $1 million to ensure his compliance with following a court’s instructions as well as to keep the community safe due to the unprovoked and dangerous nature of his actions on the evening of September 2.”

Washington State Patrol reports that the shootings allegedly occurred as follows on Sept. 2:

• Three of the shootings occurred while the suspect was in Federal Way on I-5 at 8:26 p.m., 10:57 p.m., and at 10:58 p.m.

• At 8:26 p.m. on northbound I-5 and State Route 18, several rounds were fired from a white Volvo, striking a passenger. The driver took the South 320th Street exit and contacted a fire station. The female passenger was transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. The victim is still hospitalized in critical condition.

• At 8:42 p.m. on northbound I-5 near MLK Jr. Way, a victim reported being shot at, but had no description of the suspect vehicle. A passenger suffered abrasions from broken glass. There was no medical treatment required.

• At 8:43 p.m. on northbound I-5, just south of I-90, a victim reported being shot at by an unknown vehicle and suffered a grazing wound to the leg. The victim was transported to Harborview and was later released.

• At 10:57 p.m. on southbound I-5 near SR 18, victims reported being shot at by someone in a white Volvo. The driver and passenger suffered non-life-threatening wounds to the legs and have since been released from the hospital.

• At 10:58 p.m. on southbound I-5 near S. 375th Street, a victim reported being shot at by someone in a white Volvo. No injuries were reported, but car windows were broken.

• At 11:01 p.m. on southbound I-5 near 54th Street in Pierce County, a victim reported being shot at by someone in a white Volvo. The victim was struck in the neck and transported to St. Joseph’s Medical Center.

Perkins’ side of the story

According to the probable cause documents, when Perkins spoke with officers, he said that he had been trying to get assistance from Tacoma and Fircrest police because people had been trying to steal his identity, making threats, and following him. Perkins said that he had trouble contacting police, and if necessary, he would take matters into his own hands. He said his friend “Jay” had recently loaned him a Glock 40 handgun.

Officers asked Perkins if he had the handgun to protect himself recently, and he said he had. According to documents, Perkins indicated that he had fired at vehicles four or five times, had driven from Tacoma to Everett, and had shot the gun a few times to get the people who were following him to back off. He said he was unsure if he shot anyone.

Additional correspondence with officers revealed that Perkins had been displaced from housing the day before and went to the hospital for evaluation, but he had not received the help he wanted, so he obtained a handgun. Perkins said he loaded the handgun with three or four bullets at a time and that everywhere he went, people were following him.

Perkins told officers that vehicles were trying to box him in, and he shot at them to get them to stop. The documents said he confirmed that he had driven along I-5 and shot at vehicles, but he did not indicate where or the exact number of vehicles he shot at. Perkins told officers that the handgun he had used was between the center console and the front passenger seat when officers had stopped him. When officers towed his vehicle, they located the handgun between the center console and the front passenger seat, a magazine on the front passenger floorboard, and ammunition loose within the vehicle.