Suspect in Arizona Highway Shootings Identified and Charged
The incident lasted several hours and shut down a highway in both directions.
— -- A man who allegedly shot at passing cars while driving the wrong way on a highway -- leaving a trail of havoc, including a vehicle that caught fire -- was arrested and charged today, according to police.
The suspect was identified as 36-year-old James David Walker of San Tan Valley in Phoenix, according to Department of Public Safety Public Information Officer Damon Cecil. He was booked into a downtown Phoenix jail on charges of aggravated assault, attempted homicide, armed robbery, theft of means of transportation and possession of dangerous drugs, police said. Additional charges are pending.
Multiple police agencies, including DPS and the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, responded to reports of someone shooting at passing cars on Highway 87 near Gilbert, Arizona, Tuesday night.
A total of six cars -- with 13 people inside -- were hit, including a trooper whose vehicle was shot several times. One person was "grazed" by a bullet to the head, but refused medical treatment.
A second person was shot in the leg and drove to a casino for help. That person's injury is considered to be non-life-threatening. The remaining people were not injured.
Cecil said one of the cars that was shot caught fire because of the gunfire.
The suspect then drove to a convenience store and allegedly carjacked a vehicle. He then fled north on State Route 87.
"This was an active-shooter situation," Cecil said.
The Mesa Police Department air unit found vehicle the suspect had allegedly stolen and then abandoned in the desert near milepost 201, Cecil said. The suspect was found roughly a quarter-mile away in the fetal position.
Authorities said the suspect was alive when he was captured, but not responsive and not listening to commands. A K-9 was released and bit the suspect, who was eventually taken into custody.
He suffered a minor injury and was taken to a hospital for treatment, officials said.
No officers or troopers were injured.
Cecil said "multiple rifles," including a semi-automatic AR-15, were found by the suspect's vehicle, along with ammunition and body armor.
ABC News' Julia Jacobo contributed to this report.