A man is facing felony assault charges for allegedly shooting at another car on southbound Interstate 5 near Chehalis on Saturday.
Both drivers involved had contacted 911 dispatch about the reported road-rage incident that occurred near Exit 70 but had reportedly refused to pull over at the time, according to court documents.
A Washington State Patrol (WSP) trooper located the vehicles — a gray Chrysler van and a maroon Cadillac CT6 — traveling closely together near Exit 42 in Cowlitz County. They Chrysler pulled over on the side of the highway while WSP advised the Cadillac to pull over at the next exit, according to court documents.
The driver of the Chrysler, which was occupied by a couple and two children ages 5 and 9, claimed the altercation started when the driver of the Cadillac brake-checked the Chrysler. The Chrysler passed the Cadillac, and then the Cadillac passed the Chrysler, according to the driver. While the Cadillac was passing his vehicle, the driver of the Chrysler said he saw the driver of the Cadillac “draw a handgun with his left hand and shoot at his vehicle” before driving off at a high rate of speed.
A WSP trooper located a bullet lodged in the top of the Chrysler’s bumper, according to court documents. A second bullet was later found lodged in the car battery in the rear of the right trunk.
Troopers later learned that a second bullet struck another vehicle that was driving in front of the van during the incident. The driver of that vehicle made a report to WSP on March 6 and stated he was driving south on I-5 when a Chrysler van came up behind him. He said he then “heard a bullet hit his car and saw the van swerve in his rearview mirror,” then he “saw a maroon Cadillac pass him at a high rate of speed,” according to court documents.
A trooper located a bullet hole in the right rear corner of the vehicle and found the bullet lodged in a car battery in the right rear of the trunk.
The driver of the Cadillac was contacted in a parking lot just off of Exit 42 and was identified as Terrance D. Darby, 39, of Auburn. He was the sole occupant of the vehicle.
Darby claimed the Chrysler “cut in front of him twice and tried running him off the road” and allegedly admitted to shooting at the Chrysler.
Darby reportedly stated “he felt like he was having an ‘out of body experience’ and felt trapped with nowhere else to go” when the Chrysler cut him off and stated “he wasn’t trying to hit anyone but just wanted to scare them and let them know he was armed.”
A .45 caliber Springfield Xdm handgun was found under the driver’s seat.
The caliber of the gun matched that of the bullets found in the two vehicles, according to court documents.
Darby was arrested and was booked into the Lewis County Jail at 4:05 p.m. on March 5. He has since been charged with one count of drive-by shooting and five counts of second-degree assault.
Each charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
“Of major concern to the state is the nature of this offense,” said Deputy Prosecutor Brad Meagher during Darby’s preliminary hearing in Lewis County Superior Court on March 7.
Meagher recommended a $75,000 bail amount, which Defense Attorney Rachael Tiller agreed was reasonable.
When later asked by Judge James Lawler if he anticipated posting that bail, Darby said he did.
Darby indicated he would have no trouble abiding by the court’s standard conditions of release — including a provision preventing him from possessing firearms for the duration of the case, according to Tiller.
Lawler agreed to set bail at $75,000 and scheduled Darby’s arraignment hearing for Thursday, March 17 to give Darby adequate time to retain an attorney.
