Arrested: Police arrested 21-year-old Leslie Allen Merritt Jr.
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Merritt said in court Saturday that police have “the wrong guy”, and that his gun had been in a pawn shop for the past two months.
On Saturday, Graves revealed at a news conference that investigators found the weapon, a handgun, after canvassing pawn shops throughout the area.
Merritt was arrested last night outside of a Walmart after the Arizona Department of Public Safety discovered forensic evidence linking him to the shootings.
He was charged with four counts each of drive-by shooting, intentional acts of terrorism, discharging a firearm within city limits, aggravated assault, endangerment, criminal damage and disorderly conduct involving a weapon.
The judge set his bail at $1 million, but then Meritt asked if he could actually speak out to the courtroom. A 13-year-old girl was injured by flying glass in one of those incidents, but refused treatment.
The Arizona I-10 freeway was plagued with seemingly random sniper attacks.
Graves said detectives were interrogating Merritt “virtually all night”. “I do not believe he did it. And I will defend his right to innocent until my last breath”, said Merritt Sr.
Graves says a $50,000 reward is still available as investigators try to solve the other cases.
Burges McCowan, a criminal defense attorney who used to work as a Maricopa County prosecutor, said he would piece together where Merritt was during the shootings if he were handling his case.
“I’m extremely happy that he’s in a cage at Fourth Avenue Jail where he belongs”, says Robert McDonald, Jr.
Authorities have been investigating about a dozen possible vehicle shootings since August 29 on a roughly 10-mile (16-km) stretch of Interstate 10 through Phoenix.
In an interview with The Associated Press, the suspects father was adamant that his son had nothing to do with the shootings and anyone who says he was involved is a moron..
Leslie Allen Merritt Jr., makes his way to appear before a judge at the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday, September 19, 2015, in Phoenix.
Local media reported that he was arrested as he exited a Wal-Mart store along with a woman and a young child.
The shootings have prompted several school districts to keep their buses off freeways, and some motorists have altered their commutes to avoid driving I-10.
The Bureau pf Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives assisted Arizona officers in the freeway shootings investigation.
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That still leaves questions regarding seven other shooting incidents, placing drivers back on high alert. “I had hoped they’d take a suspect into custody, not get arrested themselves!” – most were upset with what one user called his “libelous statement”.
