UPDATED: Sept. 19, 12:13 a.m. ET
PHOENIX -- A suspect has been arrested in a string of shootings along Phoenix-area freeways that have kept drivers on edge for weeks, state officials said Friday night.
Public Safety Director Frank Milstead said at a press conference late Friday that the man who authorities believe is responsible for what started the spree is in custody.
Great work by @Arizona_DPS investigators and SWAT team. Investigation remains ongoing.— Doug Ducey (@dougducey) September 19, 2015
A spokesman for Gov. Doug Ducey identified the suspect as 21-year-old Leslie Allen Merritt Jr. who was caught trying to pawn a handgun, according to ABC15 in Phoenix. Merritt was taken into custody around 7 p.m. at a Wal-Mart in Glendale, a suburb west of Phoenix.
"The suspect is in custody because the weapon that he owned is forensically linked to these crimes," Milstead said at the press conference.
Since Aug. 29, there have been 11 confirmed shootings of vehicles in the Phoenix area involving bullets or other projectiles. Most occurred along Interstate 10, a major route through the city.
FIRST LOOK at #Phoenix #FreewayShootings suspect Leslie Allen Merritt Jr. http://t.co/jGV8UXFJ6b #abc15 pic.twitter.com/Ll2qE6Gq6n— ABC15 Arizona (@abc15) September 19, 2015
Phoenix Councilman Sal DiCiccio said a lab analysis matched the handgun in question, a 9mm, to four freeway incidents.
Freeway shooter case: 4 confirmed incidents from same 9mm handgun. DPS located 9mm handgun recently pawned at local pawn shop.— Sal DiCiccio (@Sal_DiCiccio) September 19, 2015
Lab analysis confirmed same gun as freeway shootings. Person who pawned the gun is same person who purchased gun.— Sal DiCiccio (@Sal_DiCiccio) September 19, 2015
At the press conference, Milstead confirmed that the suspect was connected to the first four shootings. Authorities have not tied the arrest to the additional incidents.
Last week, Milstead referred to the crimes as "domestic terrorism."
"Anytime that you have multiple shootings against American citizens on a highway, that's terrorism," he said. "They're trying to frighten or kill somebody."
There have been no serious injuries, though a 13-year-old girl's ear was cut by glass after a bullet shattered a window of a vehicle she was riding in.
Shootings along I-10 under investigation by detectives and state troopers. Read more here: http://t.co/HPp4VfyvXt pic.twitter.com/sXaZLFI1QQ— Ariz. State Troopers (@Arizona_DPS) August 30, 2015
There has not been a confirmed shooting in the case since Sept. 10.
The shootings have prompted several school districts to keep their buses off freeways, and some motorists have altered their commutes to avoid driving I-10.
Authorities offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case and also distributed thousands of fliers in neighborhoods along I-10 to raise awareness about the shootings and the reward, but they have been tight-lipped about any details in the case.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety said state troopers have stepped up patrols, while other agencies assisting in the investigation have included Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa police as well as the FBI and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
"I think it's fair to say since a week ago, we've made headway in this case," Graves said earlier Friday.
Meanwhile Friday, a judge ordered the release of a 19-year-old man who was detained at a convenience store Sept. 11 and questioned regarding the shootings. Authorities have declined to explain why the man was questioned about the shootings but have said he was not a prime suspect.
He was arrested on an alleged probation violation stemming from marijuana found in the man's house during a Sept. 11 search based on a tip that he was violating probation by possessing a gun. The man had been sentenced to probation on an endangerment conviction for excessive speeding and fleeing from police.
Additional reporting by Mashable