The case against a man suspected of carrying out a spate of highway shootings in the US state of Arizona last year has been dropped. (Representational Image)
Los Angeles, United States:
The case against a man suspected of carrying out a spate of highway shootings in the US state of Arizona last year has been dropped, court documents posted by his lawyer showed Monday.
Leslie Allen Merritt, 21, was arrested in September after at least 11 shootings on or near Arizona's Interstate 10 in less than a month.
A Maricopa County judge formally dismissed the case just three days after prosecutors themselves moved to have it dropped, according to The Arizona Republic's online news portal.
The push for dismissal came after a trial expert called into question the ballistic evidence that had been a central part of the case, it reported.
However the judge has allowed for prosecutors to refile the case at a later time if they so choose.
Merritt's lawyer Jason Lamm shared on Twitter the court document dismissing the case.
"It's official! All charges against alleged #FreewayShooter Leslie Merritt Jr have been formally DISMISSED," he wrote.
Merritt had been charged with four of the shooting instances, local NBC affiliate 12News reported.
At the time of his arrest, the sheriff's office of Maricopa County said Merritt had been charged with terrorism in addition to other charges that included drive-by shooting, criminal damage, aggravated assault and discharging a firearm within city limits.
The only person hurt in the shootings was a teenage girl cut by flying glass when the window of the car she was in was shattered by a bullet.
An active investigation into the shootings is ongoing, officials told The Arizona Republic.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Leslie Allen Merritt, 21, was arrested in September after at least 11 shootings on or near Arizona's Interstate 10 in less than a month.
A Maricopa County judge formally dismissed the case just three days after prosecutors themselves moved to have it dropped, according to The Arizona Republic's online news portal.
The push for dismissal came after a trial expert called into question the ballistic evidence that had been a central part of the case, it reported.
However the judge has allowed for prosecutors to refile the case at a later time if they so choose.
Merritt's lawyer Jason Lamm shared on Twitter the court document dismissing the case.
"It's official! All charges against alleged #FreewayShooter Leslie Merritt Jr have been formally DISMISSED," he wrote.
Merritt had been charged with four of the shooting instances, local NBC affiliate 12News reported.
At the time of his arrest, the sheriff's office of Maricopa County said Merritt had been charged with terrorism in addition to other charges that included drive-by shooting, criminal damage, aggravated assault and discharging a firearm within city limits.
The only person hurt in the shootings was a teenage girl cut by flying glass when the window of the car she was in was shattered by a bullet.
An active investigation into the shootings is ongoing, officials told The Arizona Republic.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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