Man accused of throwing rocks on I-5 gets tossed from courtroom after challenging judge
Fireworks in court as the suspect in a rock-throwing incident on I-5 got into an argument with a District Court judge. Then he got tossed from the courtroom.
A Seattle driver helped nab the suspect after the man allegedly hit his car with a rock as he drove on the freeway. Two other cars were also damaged.
The man that appeared in court today was identified by his alleged victims as the rock-thrower.
“It is the most random act of violence you can possibly imagine,” said Dan Zahlmann
Zahlmann is talking about the damage a rock did to his precious Chevrolet Impala. His car suffered a cracked windshield that he blames on 45-year-old Jerald Grochowski, an Army veteran and college graduate with no place to live.
“On Saturday it was me,” he said. “Tomorrow it could be anybody.”
Zahlmann said he was driving northbound on I-5, coming up on the West Seattle exit Saturday afternoon.
“And an explosion happened on my windshield,” Zahlmann said. “I got hit by a rock, probably, I estimate, about a two or three-pound rock.”
He said he immediately pulled over and noticed there were other cars.
“And actually, the other two people I actually worked with in order to be able to identify the suspect,” he said, “and helped kind of keep an eye on him until a State Trooper was able to arrive.”
He said at one point, the man, later identified as Grochowski, stood and talked to them.
“Some fairly nonsensical talk about prior military service,” Zahlmann recalled. “Something about radioactive rocks.”
“May I make a statement?” Grochowski asked Monday in a King County District Courtroom. Grochowski insisted he wanted to speak during his bail hearing.
“I’m allowed to make a statement?” he asked again.
“No, sir,” replied Judge Rebecca Robertson.
When he refused to comply, she had him removed. And with that, ordered him held on $50,000 bail.
Of course, this is not the only rock-throwing incident in the last month and those suspects are still at large.
