Southern Illinois man charged with attempted murder after driving rage-fueled shooting on I-57

A southern Illinois man is charged with attempted first-degree murder and aggravated use of a firearm in connection with a shooting that occurred on September 12, 2024 at approximately 1:00 p.m. on I-57 northbound at mile marker 223.

RELATED TOPICS: Shooting on I-57 leads to chase and two arrests

We have been informed that LeJoshua Smith will be arraigned in court on Friday.

According to ISP, Smith was driving a Chrysler 300 north on I-57 with a female passenger and two children when he passed a semi-truck and slowed, causing the semi-truck to strike the Chrysler in the rear bumper.

During questioning after his arrest, Smith admitted that he became angry and fired eight times at the semi-truck with a handgun he had in his car before fleeing the scene. The bullets struck the truck on the driver's side of the cab, near the driver's seat.

Officers found the Chrysler near mile marker 249 approximately 20 minutes after the shooting and attempted to stop it, but the defendant fled, reaching speeds of up to 125 mph, weaving between vehicles, driving on the shoulder of the road and driving through a construction zone. Officers were able to use stop sticks to stop the car in Iroquois County, where Smith was taken into custody.

Smith admitted that the passenger tried to get him to stop, but he continued to flee despite her efforts. Smith has been convicted of forgery in St. Louis County, Missouri, and faces a charge of intimidation with a deadly weapon in Spencer County, Indiana.