Man arrested in string of I-5 shootings claims voices in his head told him to do it
The man arrested in connection with a string of I-5 shootings, claims the voices in his head told him to drive around and shoot people.
Marco Antonio Ramos Valdez, 28, faces two counts of drive-by shooting and two counts of first-degree assault.
“This is unusual. And people want to know that they can be safe driving down the road,” said Casey McNerthney with the King County Prosecutor’s Office.
Investigators said he opened fire on I-5 last week, striking a driver in the neck in Federal Way near 320th Street. The driver was taken to the hospital where he was recovering. A pregnant woman, who was not hurt, sat in the passenger’s seat.
Not even 15 minutes later, Ramos Valdez allegedly shot at another car on I-5 near 200th Street in SeaTac.
“A serious concern for public safety, and we articulated that not only in the charging documents but also in court,” said McNerthney.
Court documents revealed Ramos Valdez admitted he took a gun from his brother’s room and the voices in his head told him to drive around and shoot people. He also admitted to smoking meth on the day of the shootings.
“Whenever you see the kinds of details that we saw in the information sent to us by the State Patrol, that’s information that needs to go before a judge right away,” said McNerthney.
When Washington State Patrol arrested Ramos Valdez the next day near his Auburn home, they found a gun and live ammunition in his car. Troopers believe he was on his way to do it all over again.
“We’re thankful to them that they got it to us so quickly so we can make this charging decision,” said McNerthney.
Ramos Valdez is being held on $1 million bail Tuesday night and is expected back in court on Monday.
