Three men charged in connection with a shooting on Interstate 95 in Providence, Rhode Island, mistook the victim's car for another vehicle, state police said Tuesday.
Authorities charged 22-year-old Raul Otero, of Pawtucket, 20-year-old Jovani Velez, of Central Falls, and 23-year-old Ramon Escotta, of Providence, with assault and battery, drive-by shooting and other crimes.
A Providence District Court judge ordered Velez and Escotto held on $20,000 bail with surety. The judge also ordered Otero held on $40,000 bail with surety because of Otero's record.
State police said the men were in a car and opened fire at another car on the northbound side of the highway early Saturday morning.
The victim was identified in court documents as Giovanni Camacho, of Providence. He told troopers that bullets came flying through the driver's side window as he was driving to work, but he wasn't hit.
The suspects crashed their car near the 146 overpass.
State police said witnesses who saw the crash reported seeing three men flee the car and run toward Orms Street in Providence. About 10 minutes later, Providence police received a call about three suspicious men at the Marriott Hotel. Officers arrived and detained the suspects until state police could take them into custody.
"Troopers and K-9 units conducted a search of the area and that search resulted in a weapon being discovered, a .40-caliber Beretta semi-automatic hand gun," said Cpl. Ken Moriarty of the Rhode Island State Police.
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State police said the gun was found in the bushes near the front of the hotel. Investigators said they also found a .40-caliber shell casing in the car the suspects had crashed.
Investigators wouldn't comment on who the suspects may have been looking for.
scheduled to return to court on Oct. 10.
