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Man arrested after 3 'similar' shootings along I-85 in Alabama and Georgia, police say

A suspect was taken into custody Wednesday afternoon after three separate shootings along Interstate 85 spanning Georgia and Alabama, police said.

The first shooting was reported at about 4:30 a.m. in Montgomery, Alabama, just off the interstate, authorities said. A woman said her car was damaged by gunfire, but she was not injured, Montgomery Police Department said in a statement.

At about 6:15 a.m. in Auburn, Alabama, police found a car on the roadway of I-85 in the northbound direction with a driver who had been shot through the rear of his vehicle, the Auburn Police Department said in a news release. The driver, a 45-year-old man, was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

About an hour and a half later, another shooting was reported in Troup County, Georgia, also on I-85, according to the Troup County Sheriff's Office. A motorist, who was not injured, reported his car being shot at and struck by gunfire.

Witnesses in both shootings said the suspect was driving a white older model Cadillac.

The sheriff's office said a third "similar" shooting was reported in Montgomery, Alabama. USA TODAY has requested comment from the Montgomery Police Department.

Sgt. Stewart Smith from the Troup County Sheriff's Office said authorities there and in Auburn and Montgomery are confident the suspect carried out all three shootings.

"The three of our agencies believe this guy is connected to all of them," he said.

The Troup County Sheriff's Office said 39-year-old Jerel Raphael Brown of Montgomery, Alabama, was arrested after being identified, along with his car, by surveillance cameras. Auburn police also said Brown was in custody, charged with attempted murder and shooting into an occupied vehicle.

In Georgia, Brown was charged with aggravated assault, possessing a firearm while committing a felony and criminal damage, according to the sheriff's office.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: I-85 shootings in Alabama, Georgia: Suspect in custody, police say