LYNNWOOD — A man was shot Tuesday night while driving on the freeway through Lynnwood, according to Washington State Patrol.

He reported he was driving northbound on I-5 around 11:30 p.m. when he noticed that an older maroon Ford Taurus was keeping pace with him. Near the 164th Street SW exit, he kept going northbound as the Ford took the off-ramp, State Patrol trooper Rocky Oliphant said. The man heard a popping sound and realized he had been shot in the thigh, through the car door.

The man was taken to a hospital, where he was treated for his injury and released.

He reported there were no other cars around at the time, and that he had not been driving aggressively.

Troopers were still investigating the shooting on Wednesday, and a suspect had yet to be identified, Oliphant said. So far, there is no reason to believe the shooter and the wounded man knew each other.

The man who was shot believes he saw a blue laser, which might be associated with the laser sight of a firearm.

State Patrol detectives are looking for witnesses who may have seen the shooting, a blue laser coming from a car, or noticed anything suspicious around that time in the same area. Tips can be directed to Detective Josh Lancaster at Joshua.Lancaster@wsp.wa.gov or 425-923-6718.

The drive-by reminded Oliphant of a similar incident in Seattle. On Aug. 3, shots were fired at someone while they were driving down the freeway through downtown, hitting their vehicle once. The suspect’s car was described as an early 2000s red Lexus sedan, with tinted windows and damage to the driver’s side fender.

It’s unknown if the two incidents are related, Oliphant said, but he noted it’s unusual for people to be targeted on the freeway by apparent strangers.

Zachariah Bryan: 425-339-3431; zbryan@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @zachariahtb.