Showing a firearm during an incident of road rage is seldom a good idea, as two men driving on Interstate 85 learned last week.
According to the Commerce Police Department, an officer received a lookout on a vehicle whose driver had allegedly pointed a gun at another motorist.
Approaching with caution — and help from another officer — the responding officer immediately saw a pistol on the dashboard of the red Mitsubishi, according to his written report.
With weapons drawn, the officers ordered the two males in the vehicle to put their hands up and removed the gun. In the process, the officers noted a strong smell of marijuana.
The driver was Marquis Tayshawn Evans, 32, 4695 North Church Lane, No. 701, Smyrna. His passenger was David Alexander Thorpe, 29, 4230 Garrett Road, Apt. M3, Durham, NC.
Evans explained that he “showed” the Glock pistol because the person who called police had “flipped him off” and “swerved at him” earlier. The officer reported that he advised Evans that pointing a pistol was an inappropriate response.
A search of the vehicle turned up a single marijuana “blunt” in the front console, but a search of the trunk yielded two more guns in a case and three bags of marijuana hidden in a cavity in a quarter panel.
The report said Thorpe admitted to possession of the three bags of weed.
Both men were charged with possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. Evans was also charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana, while Thorpe was also charged with felony possession of marijuana.
For all of the arrests and incidents reported by The Commerce Police Department, see the July 22 edition of The Commerce News.
