A man was arrested last week for allegedly pointing a BB gun at someone during a road rage incident on Interstate 95 in Branford.
Troopers responded to I-95 North in the area of Exit 53 around 9:08 p.m. on Oct. 10 to investigate a reported road rage incident, according to Connecticut State Police.
State police said they met with the complainant off the highway to gather what had happened. According to state police, the complainant said they were driving in the left lane of I-95 crossing the Q Bridge in New Haven where the driver of a blue Chevrolet Cruze began flashing his high beams from behind.
The driver then allegedly merged into the left shoulder and drove alongside the complainant, state police said. The complainant then allegedly moved to the center lane and the other driver moved over to the left lane.
According to state police, the driver of the Chevrolet then allegedly took out a black handgun and pointed it at the complainant. He then “unsafely cut in front of” the victim and abruptly slammed on his brakes, state police allege.
The complainant applied their brakes and moved into the right lane. When the Chevrolet driver got caught up in traffic, the complainant said they sped up and tried to create some distance.
The Chevrolet driver was able to catch up to the complainant and again allegedly pointed a gun at them, state police said. The driver then allegedly weaved in and out of traffic before speeding away, according to state police.
The complainant was able to give state police the vehicle’s license plate information.
Shortly thereafter, a trooper spotted the Chevrolet heading south on I-95 and getting off the highway at Exit 43 in West Haven. The trooper pulled the vehicle over and found that the driver had a learner’s permit belonging to someone else, state police said.
The man was detained in handcuffs after being directed out of the vehicle. He was eventually identified as 29-year-old Dylan Rolando Pineda Franco of West Haven, according to state police.
State police said Franco admitted to having a BB gun in the vehicle. He denied pointing it at anyone but did say he was on I-95 in Branford earlier.
Franco was arrested and charged with reckless driving, carrying a dangerous weapon, second-degree threatening, criminal impersonation, second-degree forgery and second-degree breach of peace. He was released on a $20,000 bond and is scheduled to be arraigned in New Haven Superior Court on Oct. 21.
