Impatient driver opened fire on man who stopped in Tacoma to hand out change, charges say
A man who shot a driver who stopped to hand out spare change in Tacoma last year and then followed him for miles on Interstate 5 is being sought by law enforcement, court records show.
Rodney Lewis Herbert, 47, was charged Friday in Pierce County Superior Court with first-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.
Herbert’s whereabouts are unknown, according to charging documents. A bench warrant was issued for his arrest. He has two previous convictions for first-degree assault and one for a drive-by shooting.
According to charging documents, Herbert shot at a man five times the evening of May 28, 2021 after being stopped behind him at a traffic light near an on-ramp to Interstate 5. Herbert allegedly opened fire after he hit the back of the victim’s vehicle when merging onto the interstate.
A bullet hit the man’s thigh and became lodged there. The man continued to drive north and called 911 to report that he’d been shot. He was advised to pull over, but the man said he didn’t want to because the shooter was still chasing him.
The victim drove from Tacoma to SeaTac before being able to get away and pull off the interstate. Washington State Patrol troopers located him and brought him to a hospital, where he underwent surgery to have the bullet removed. He also provided a description of the person who shot him and his vehicle.
Through surveillance video from the Emerald Queen Casino & Hotel and anonymous tips from CrimeStoppers that included photos, State Patrol detectives identified Herbert as the shooting suspect. The victim also identified him as the shooter in a photo montage created by detectives.
Charging documents gave this account:
The victim was driving on East 28th Street at about 8:20 p.m. when he stopped at a red light just before entering northbound Interstate 5. According to the declaration for determination of probable cause, a man was standing on the side of the road holding a sign asking for change, so the victim called him over to give him some quarters.
A man driving a blue Kia, later identified as Herbert, “became impatient” and started honking his car’s horn, according to the probable cause document.
The victim signaled to Herbert to drive around him and finished giving the man change. The victim started to drive onto the on-ramp, and Herbert pulled beside him. Herbert allegedly yelled an obscenity, and the victim told him he could have just driven around.
As the on-ramp narrowed to one lane, the victim tried to get in front of Herbert, but the man hit the back of the victim’s car. The victim pulled into the left lane and looked to his right. According to the probable cause document, he saw Herbert pull out a handgun and fire at him.
One bullet broke out the victim’s back window, and another flew past his head. Herbert allegedly fired three more times, and the last bullet went through the victim’s passenger door and hit him in the thigh.
This story was originally published May 4, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
