NEW SEWICKLEY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A Brighton Township man faces multiple felony charges after police said he fired a handgun at another vehicle during a road rage chase in New Sewickley Township on Thursday night.
New Sewickley Township police arrested Christopher L. Brown, 41, following a traffic stop on Big Knob Road, where officers recovered a handgun from his vehicle.
Officers responded around 10:04 p.m. to reports of gunfire during a road rage incident involving two vehicles on Fezell Road. Police said the conflict spanned Fezell, Big Knob and Blackswoods roads before officers intercepted the fleeing suspect.
The incident began in the 300 block of Big Knob Road when two vehicles traveling in opposite directions passed each other and flashed their high beams. Police said Brown turned his silver Chevrolet Impala around and pursued the victims, attempting to cut them off several times on Big Knob Road and forcing them to drive through a yard to avoid a collision. Brown continued following the victims onto Blackswoods Road and into the 700 block of Fezell Road.
Cellphone video recorded by the victims depicts approximately 15 shots fired from a vehicle traveling behind them. Responding officers found spent .40-caliber shell casings along the roadway on Fezell Road.
Officers stopped Brown’s vehicle on Big Knob Road at Grange Road after observing it traveling at a high rate of speed on Blackswoods Road.
At the time of the traffic stop, officers found Brown in possession of a .40-caliber Glock Model 23 pistol, which was missing five rounds from its magazine. A subsequent search warrant executed on Brown’s vehicle yielded an empty .40-caliber magazine, U.S. currency, several containers of suspected marijuana and paraphernalia associated with packaging marijuana for sale.
During an interview with police, Brown stated that occupants of the other vehicle threw a liquid at his car when they initially passed, which angered him and prompted the chase. Brown admitted to firing the handgun from his vehicle but denied shooting directly at the victims.
Brown was arraigned on two counts of second-degree felony aggravated assault, one count of third-degree felony discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle, two counts of misdemeanor recklessly endangering another person, two counts of misdemeanor terroristic threats and two counts of misdemeanor simple assault.
Brown was taken to the Beaver County Jail after failing to post a $250,000 bond.
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