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Man accused of throwing rocks on I-5 challenges judge; Gets tossed from
courtroom

By Deborah Horne, KIRO 7 News
July 03, 2023 at 10:31 am PDT

VIDEO: I-5 rock-throwing suspect in court

Fireworks in court as the suspect in a rock-throwing incident on I-5 got
into an argument with a District Court judge. Then he got tossed from
the courtroom.

A Seattle driver helped nab the suspect after the man allegedly hit his
car with a rock as he drove on the freeway. Two other cars were also
damaged.

The man that appeared in court today was identified by his alleged
victims as the rock-thrower.

“It is the most random act of violence you can possibly imagine,” said
Dan Zahlmann

Zahlmann is talking about the damage a rock did to his precious
Chevrolet Impala. His car suffered a cracked windshield that he blames
on 45-year-old Jerald Grochowski, an Army veteran and college graduate
with no place to live.

“On Saturday it was me,” he said. “Tomorrow it could be anybody.”

Zahlmann said he was driving northbound on I-5, coming up on the West
Seattle exit Saturday afternoon.

“And an explosion happened on my windshield,” Zahlmann said. “I got hit
by a rock, probably, I estimate, about a two or three-pound rock.”

He said he immediately pulled over and noticed there were other cars.

“And actually, the other two people I actually worked with in order to
be able to identify the suspect,” he said, “and helped kind of keep an
eye on him until a State Trooper was able to arrive.”

He said at one point, the man, later identified as Grochowski, stood and
talked to them.

“Some fairly nonsensical talk about prior military service,” Zahlmann
recalled. “Something about radioactive rocks.”

“May I make a statement?” Grochowski asked Monday in a King County
District Courtroom. Grochowski insisted he wanted to speak during his
bail hearing.

“I’m allowed to make a statement?” he asked again.

“No, sir,” replied Judge Rebecca Robertson.

When he refused to comply, she had him removed. And with that, ordered
him held on $50,000 bail.

Of course, this is not the only rock-throwing incident in the last month
and those suspects are still at large.

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