LYNNWOOD — After he arrested a man suspected of firing a rifle during a traffic pursuit, a Washington State Patrol trooper asked the man if he considered that the trooper might have a wife and a family.
Prosecutors on Thursday charged Trung Van Le with drive-by shooting. Le is accused of firing an assault rifle while fleeing from police Feb. 5.
The trooper attempted to stop Le for speeding on I-405 near Bothell. Instead of pulling over Le picked up speed, court papers said.
The trooper heard a loud noise that sounded like a gun and saw smoke coming from the suspect’s driver’s side window.
Concerned for his safety, the trooper slowed down, turned off his emergency lights and waited for back-up. The suspect eventually pulled off the freeway and stopped in a parking lot, where he was arrested.
Investigators found a loaded assault rife in Le’s Honda Prelude, Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Cindy Larsen wrote in charging papers. There also was a large quantity of ammunition and a bayonet that could be attached to the rifle, Larsen wrote.
Le has no previous criminal history. His brothers told investigators that Le has struggled with paranoia in the past and believed that people were following him.
Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com.
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