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By Robert Rosen
Hometown Weekly Staff
Following a road rage incident in which a driver allegedly pointed a gun at another motorist on Route 9 West, the Wellesley Police Department arrested a 25-year-old college student and charged him with Assault and Battery with a Dangerous Weapon and Possessing a Firearm on School Property.
Shortly before 11 a.m. on Thursday, February 18, a Wellesley Police Officer working a detail with a construction crew on Route 9 West was alerted by a motorist that the operator of a black Toyota sedan had just pointed a firearm at him.
The reporting party was able to tell the officer the vehicle’s license plate number and give a description of both, the vehicle and the driver. The officer immediately radioed this information to the Wellesley Emergency Communications Center, and dispatchers broadcast it to surrounding law enforcement agencies to request their assistance in locating the vehicle.
According to the Wellesley Police, the reporting party stated that he was traveling west on Route 9 near Cedar St. in the left hand lane when he saw road construction ahead of him. Due to the construction he slowed down, at which point a black Toyota sedan that had been traveling behind him pulled up beside him.
The reporting party told Wellesley Police that the other driver then sounded his horn and made a profane hand gesture at him before rolling down his window and displaying a handgun. The driver of the Toyota initially pointed the gun at the roof of his vehicle before then allegedly pointing at the reporting party.
Because of location of the incident was close to MassBay Community College, Wellesley Police contacted MassBay to find out if the owner of the vehicle in question is a student at the school. MassBay confirmed that the suspect was, in fact, a student, and provided Wellesley Police with the location of his scheduled class at the time.
While Wellesley Police arrived to the campus, MassBay’s Director of Public Safety entered the classroom and asked the suspect to leave the room with him so that he could speak to police. The suspect complied and was spoken to in a nearby empty classroom, where he allegedly confirmed that he had been involved in the incident.
“It was pretty calm and orderly,” Lee Koh, a spokesperson for MassBay, said of the on-campus arrest, adding that the college and the Wellesley Police Department cooperate well. “It was without incident.”
The suspect provided officers with the keys to his car, where they found a Glock 23 secured in the vehicle. The suspect is properly licensed to possess a firearm, according to the Wellesley Police.
The suspect was arraigned in Dedham District Court on Friday, February 19, where it was revealed that he is a military veteran suffering from PTSD. He has been ordered to a hospital for an evaluation.
Robert Rosen is an Editor at Hometown Weekly. He can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter at @roberterosen.
