Ex-con pleads not guilty in Fountain Hills highway shooting

PHOENIX (AP) -- An ex-convict accused of shooting at vehicles on a highway near the Phoenix suburb of Fountain Hills last month has pleaded not guilty.

Maricopa County Superior Court officials say 36-year-old James David Walker was arraigned Thursday.

He's accused of injuring at least two people May 24 before police captured him near a stolen car that crashed into a ditch.

Arizona Department of Public Safety officials say seven vehicles were hit in the shooting spree including a state trooper's patrol vehicle.

Walker was booked into jail on suspicion of 40 counts, including 11 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

The San Tan Valley resident previously was convicted of second-degree murder after a 1995 shooting when he was 16 years old.

Records show Walker was released from prison in 2014.