Road rage incident in Hartford nearly leads to crash involving pedestrian; man arrested, gun recovered

HARTFORD -- A man is facing multiple charges following a road rage incident in Hartford Tuesday, December 19th that nearly led to a crash involving a pedestrian. Police say a handgun and drug paraphernalia were recovered from his vehicle.

It began around 11:30 a.m. when a 911 call came in regarding a possible road rage incident. The caller indicating they were following the suspect's fleeing vehicle, which was reported to be driving erratically and reaching speeds between 45 and 60 miles-per-hour.

The vehicle was located on Highway 60 near Independence Avenue, and the 31-year-old Hartford man was taken into custody. An empty holster, a handgun, and drug paraphernalia were recovered from the vehicle.

An investigation revealed the suspect had been driving westbound on E. Sumner Street/Highway 60 -- weaving in and out of traffic, tailgating and waving his arms frantically at other motorists. As they approached the intersection of Highway 60 and Mill Street, the suspect displayed a handgun out the driver side window of his vehicle before colliding with a second vehicle.

According to witnesses, the suspect’s vehicle then hopped the curb and turned northbound onto Mill Street. The suspect vehicle then briefly drove on the sidewalk on the west side of Mill Street, and reportedly came within 10 to 15 feet of striking a pedestrian that was loading their parked vehicle on the east side of the Schnorenberg’s Floor Covering store.

Multiple charges are being referred to the Washington County District Attorney’s Office for review.