A 19-year-old Petersburg, Indiana, man is facing a felony charge after Vanderburgh County deputies said he displayed a handgun during a road rage confrontation Monday.
Mason Gosciniak was booked into the Vanderburgh County Jail on a preliminary charge of intimidation with a deadly weapon, a Level 5 felony, according to a sheriff’s office news release. The charge has not yet been formally filed by the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office.
Deputies said the confrontation occurred about 12:42 p.m. Monday near the intersection of Inglefield Road and U.S. 41. Central Dispatch issued a be-on-the-lookout alert for a blue Dodge Neon after a motorist reported that its driver had displayed a handgun during the encounter, the release said.
A deputy located the vehicle within minutes traveling south on U.S. 41 near Lynch Road and conducted a traffic stop at a gas station in the 2000 block of Lynch Road, according to the sheriff’s office. Gosciniak was identified as the driver and taken into custody without incident, deputies said.
Investigators said Gosciniak admitted to retrieving a handgun from his driver’s-side door compartment and displaying it during the confrontation while making a statement intended to keep the other driver from approaching him.
The other motorist told deputies he feared Gosciniak would use the weapon and left the area before calling 911, the release said. During a follow-up interview, the man acknowledged making a verbal statement of his own during the encounter but said he left because he feared for his safety after seeing the handgun.
Deputies said the investigation established probable cause for Gosciniak’s arrest. He was booked at the Vanderburgh County Jail without further incident. Booking records show he was released Friday on a $750 bond.
In its release, the sheriff’s office urged drivers to disengage from roadway disputes rather than confront other motorists, warning that such encounters can escalate quickly.
Deputies said no one should display or use a firearm to intimidate another driver, and anyone involved in a road rage incident should safely leave the area and contact law enforcement.
Houston Harwood may be contacted at houston.harwood@courierpress.com
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Deputies: Petersburg man pulled gun in road rage confrontation
Reporting by Houston Harwood, Evansville Courier & Press / Evansville Courier & Press
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By Houston Harwood, Evansville Courier & Press | USA TODAY Network
