Editor’s note: It is the policy of The Herald-Times to not name the suspect in a case we will not follow through the court system.
A 68-year-old Bloomfield woman was arrested on Monday, June 22, after a man driving a Duke Energy truck reported to Bloomington police that a woman driving a silver SUV had pointed a firearm at three people riding bicycles in the roadway near Second Street. The incident was reported at about 6:56 a.m., according to police.
When an police officer arrived at the area near Second Street and College Avenue, there were no bicyclists or silver SUVs, according to court documents.
The officer then contacted the complainant who said he was stopped at a red light at College Avenue while heading east on Second Street. He told the officer three bicyclists were in front of his truck and a silver SUV, all stopped at the light. After the light changed, the SUV moved forward and then stopped in the road. The driver exited the vehicle and started pointing a gun at the bicyclists. The complainant told police he was concerned because she also pointed the gun in his direction. He said she continued pointing the gun for several minutes.
The woman got back in her car, according to court documents, and began driving forward and again, from inside the vehicle, began pointing the gun at the cyclists, who then scattered. The woman drove on, leaving the area, as one cyclist tried to record a video of the woman.
The complainant gave the officer the license number of the SUV, according to court documents.
One of the victims called Bloomington police, and the officer went to interview him. The victim told the officer he and two other males had been riding their bicycles and pulled up behind a silver SUV while on Second Street. He said after the light turned green, the SUV started forward, then stopped in the intersection and the driver started pointing a gun at him and the other bicyclists. He said she pointed the gun at the three multiple times, according to court documents. The victim shared videos, one of which shows a woman pointing a revolver at the camera. The victim said the gun had a laser.
The Bloomington officer then located another victim and interviewed him. He gave a similar description of events as the first victim. He remembered the laser from the gun pointing at the bicyclist taking videos for about 20 seconds. He said the three then scattered and the woman drove off.
Later, the officer spoke with a dump truck driver who was in the parking lot of Kroger at Seminary Square during the incident. The driver said he saw the three bicyclists and stated they hadn’t caused any issues. He saw the incident from the parking lot but didn’t see the driver exit or brandish a firearm because he was too far away.
The Bloomington police officer then discovered where the suspect worked, located a vehicle with the correct license plate and went inside to talk to the suspect. He explained he needed to speak to her at the police station, court documents said. While she was notifying her supervisor that she needed to leave the office, she began to talk about the incident without prompting or questions from the officer.
The officer reported the suspect said she was surrounded by boys on bikes and pointed her gun at them because she was in fear for her safety. The officer noted she was agitated while talking, and while in her supervisor’s office she struck the wall with her fist, causing a clock to fall off the wall and into a trash can.
After the suspect walked back into her office, the officer asked if her gun was in her vehicle. She told him it was in her purse, which the officer then took custody of for safety reasons. While the gun was still in the purse, the officer said it was visible in a holster. Both the suspect and the purse and gun were transported to Bloomington Police Department where the woman was questioned. The gun was later identified as a Luger .22 caliber pistol.
There the suspect told police that she was driving on Second Street at College Avenue when one of the bike riders bumped into her vehicle from behind, with another approaching her driver’s door and the third on her passenger’s side. She said one threatened her with another “flipping her off,” court documents state. The suspect said she was afraid and pointer her gun at the bicyclists.
The officer then told her that was not the witnesses described the incident. He reported she responded that “they weren’t good people,” and that she wanted them charged with intimidation.
The officer noted the handgun was unloaded. When questioned, the suspect said she was unaware that the gun was unloaded.
The suspect was arrested and taken to the Monroe County Jail where she was charged with Level 5 felony intimidation and pointing a firearm, a Level 6 felony.
Contact Carol Kugler at ckugler@heraldt.com.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Bloomfield woman arrested after pointing gun at 3 bicyclists
Reporting by Carol Kugler, The Herald-Times / The Herald-Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Carol Kugler, The Herald-Times | USA TODAY Network
