Police arrest suspect in string of Phoenix freeway shootings

“We got him!” Ducey said in a tweet sent out shortly before 7 p.m. local time that cited the state Department of Public Safety.

CNN reports that the arrest was carried out late on Friday night after the police had “forensically linked” the suspect’s firearm to the one which was used for shootings that occurred on August 29 and August 31 on Interstate 10 in Phoenix, Arizona.

Milstead said that it is possible there are copycats out there, and that the investigation continues. Authorities have declined to explain why the man was questioned about the shootings but have said he was not a prime suspect.

A suspect has been taken into custody in connection with a string of shooting incidents on the I-10 freeway in Arizona, according to police and the governor. They distributed thousands fliers in the neighborhoods surrounding the freeway this week to raise awareness about the shootings and the reward, but they have remained tight-lipped about any details in the case.

“The weapon and man we believe was responsible for starting this spree is in custody”, Milstead said.

Leslie Allen Merritt Jr. was taken into custody Friday as a suspect in four of the 11 highway shootings along busy Interstate 10 that left at least one person injured and terrorized the community.

The suspect’s father, Leslie Merritt Sr., gave an interview to The Arizona Republic on Friday and said his son is innocent.

The only injury has been a teenage girl who was cut by flying glass when the window of the vehicle she was traveling in was shattered by a bullet. The signs on the freeways urging caution will remain up, Graves said.

The state Department of Public Safety detained him September 11 at a convenience store.

Arizona Department of Public Safety spokesman Bart Graves said that motorists should remain vigilant. The search was based on a tip that he was violating probation by possessing a gun. Three Phoenix teenagers were arrested last week for shooting small projectiles at cars and pedestrians with a slingshot.