An alleged case of road rage and reckless driving escalated into charges of attempted second-degree murder during a traffic dispute on March 23 at the merge of Route 123 and southbound Interstate 95 in Dale City, Virginia.
WTOP.com reports that two drivers were involved in an alleged instance of road rage when James Bringham, who was driving a Ford F550 dump truck, attempted to merge onto I-95, interfering with the path of Gabriel Poventud's Jaguar.
According to authorities, the two men began driving aggressively towards one another, with Bringham twice striking Poventud's vehicle. The men eventually ended up on the left shoulder of the highway. Police said Poventud got out of his car armed with a gun and allegedly fired 13 rounds at the dump truck.
Bringham pulled his truck back into traffic but it was struck at least 4 times during the exchange. Police said there was no other damage to bystanders, other vehicles, or nearby property.
The incident ended without injury when the two vehicles resumed chase on the right shoulder and were stopped by a Virginia state trooper. Riding with Poventud was his 2-year-old daughter. The charges against Poventud include:
- child endangerment
- use of a firearm in the commission of a felony
- shooting a missile into an occupied vehicle
- reckless use of a firearm
- attempted second-degree murder
Bringham was originally faced a Virginia reckless driving charge for his strikes to the Jaguar, but police later obtained a warrant for attempted second-degree murder.
Photos of the Jaguar have been released to show the extent of the damage caused by the dump truck. Police investigation has found that the gun was legally owned by Poventud and he had no prior history of mental illness or criminal record to prevent gun ownership.
