Girl hurt, cars damaged by rocks thrown onto I-10
Man arrested after child suffers disfiguring injuries
A man who hurled rocks onto Interstate 10 in Phoenix on Sunday night was responsible for disfiguring a 9-year-old girl and damaging 15 vehicles, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety.
Troopers discovered Michael Santiago Kerrick, 22, throwing rocks onto I-10 eastbound at 15th Street shortly after 9 p.m., DPS spokesman Tim Case said Monday.
After a brief foot pursuit down an embankment, the troopers captured and detained Kerrick, Case said. Kerrick attempted to hit a trooper in the head with a rock during the chase but missed, arrest records said.
One of the thrown objects broke through a windshield and injured a 9year-old girl, who was taken to a hospital with severe facial injuries, Case said. Hospital staff told troopers the girl would need reconstructive surgery, according to arrest records.
Landscaping rocks weighing up to 21⁄2 pounds directly struck three vehicles. About a dozen other vehicles were damaged when they hit the rocks on the roadway, causing more than $2,000 in damage, arrest records said.
Kerrick was booked into a Maricopa County jail and was expected to face one count of aggravated assault and temporary disfigurement, one count of aggravated assault on an officer, eight counts of assault with a dangerous instrument, 10 counts of endangerment, 10 counts of criminal damage and one count of obstructing a highway.
The arrest records said Kerrick is homeless, has a history of violent behavior and is mentally disturbed.