News from SWPL Regional Capital, Austin, Texas: Black Man Marquel Boone Arrested; Boone is Allegedly One of the Rock Throwers Who Have been Trying to Murder Drivers and Their Passengers, in 83 Attacks on I35 Over the Past Two Years; Authorities are Mulling Over Closing Highway’s Multimillion-Dollar, Lower Deck

 


Mug shot of suspect Marquel Boone, 44
 

Re-posted by Nicholas Stix

I thank reader-researcher jeigheff, who writes,

Austin, Texas has had a problem with people throwing rocks at cars along Highway 35 for months, maybe years. It's a pretty evil thing to do. Sometimes motorists have been hurt in these incidents, which seem to happen very late at night from what I've read. I believe there have been over eighty incidents, if I'm not mistaken.

IH35 runs through the center of Austin, north to south. Austin has a pretty big homeless population, and many services for them are offered downtown, directly on the west side of IH35. East Austin lies to the left, obviously. It's where many of Austin's blacks and Hispanics live, although parts of it are becoming gentrified.

For some time, the police have been trying to catch one of these guys. Many of us have speculated on what kind of persons are doing the rock-throwing. Well, one of the rock-throwers finally got caught, and my local Internet provider published his mug shot. The perp was an angry-looking black guy in his forties, with no trace of regret of remorse on his face.

Police believe that this guy isn't the only rock-thrower. I think they're probably right.

N.S.: Check out the video at the news site.
 

Suspect arrested after another I-35 rock throwing
By Claire Ricke and Phil Prazan
June 3, 2016, 9:31 a.m.
Updated: June 3, 2016, 8:04 p.m.
KXAN

Related Coverage
Reward in I-35 rock throwing cases upped to $25,000

I-35 Rock Throwing Cases in Austin

Five injured in 13 weekend rock throwing cases

Man suffers broken collarbone from rock
 

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin police have arrested a suspect in an Interstate 35 rock-throwing incident, but officers say they don’t believe he is the suspect [perp] in all 83 cases.

The call came in around 8:47 a.m. Friday after a rock was thrown at the 3200 block of I-35.

Police interviewed two witnesses who saw the event while driving by. The witnesses did not want to talk to the media or give their names. Police arrested a man, identified as Marquel Boone, 44, wearing orange shorts and blue shirt walking on the sidewalk a few blocks away as he walked past Dreamers, an adult entertainment store.

Boone has been charged with attempted aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a third degree felony. His bond has been set at $50,000.

[The charge should be attempted murder.]
APD Responds to rock throwing along Interstate 35 (KXAN PhotoPhil Prazan)

“We’ve been very concerned with the situation. Especially when they were talking about shutting down the lower deck at night,” said Ginger Moore, store manager of Dreamers. “Hopefully they have some good witnesses and it’s the beginning of the end.”

Moore came to work with police cars in the parking lot. She describes seeing a young man in the backseat of one of the police cars. Security cameras outside of her store recorded police walking the man to a police car and placing him inside.
Police interviewed the suspect and concluded he is not responsible for all 83 cases of rock throwing. They say the person arrested Friday threw a rock and other objects.

Since June 2014, there have been more than 80 cases of rock throwing on I-35. During the weekend of May 20, 2016, police said 13 new rock-throwing cases injuring five people were reported.

Around two weeks ago, a rock crashed down on Terrell Hill’s car while he drove under the 38th 1/2 Street bridge.

‘When it happens to you, you know it can happen to anybody,” said Hill.


Police detain man after called to another rock throwing incident along I-35. (Store Security Camera)

“I’m just thinking are they ever going to catch him. Are they ever going to catch this person? They say about two years something like that,” said Hill. Too long for him. Too long for many.

“Looking at the news where all the other people are brain dead, or broken collarbone, that’s really serious. That’s really serious,” he admits he was lucky and hopes this arrest stops any would-be copy cat from throwing rocks.

“Who knows, maybe this will make that guy lay low now,” Hill said.

As the number of rock throwing cases on I-35 continue [sic] to mount, the reward for any information that results in an arrest and conviction has gone up to $25,000.