A Texas woman has been charged with two separate road rage incidents after police were given a photo of her apparently brandishing a gun at another driver.
Amanda Downs, 25, of Baytown, is accused of the pair of bizarre threats – the earliest in July – in which she allegedly threatened other drivers with the weapon.
The latest incident occurred on State Highway 225 on August 2, when Downs was apparently snapped waving a gun out of the window of her red Silverado pickup, La Porte Police Department said in a statement.
Amanda Downs (left) has been arrested after allegedly pointing a gun at people in two separate road rage incidents. One alleged incident, from August 2, was photographed (right)
After being given the photo, ‘the LPPD Criminal Investigations Division recognized the case was nearly identical to a previously reported case and immediately went to work,’ the statement said.
Detectives canvased the area for two days, eventually finding Downs and her pickup in an industrial estate.
Down confessed to both incidents, police said, and handed over what appeared to be a gun but turned out to be a ‘large folding knife’ shaped like a firearm.
Harris County District Attorney’s Office has charged her with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
‘The La Porte Police Department wants to remind the motoring public that Road Rage can quickly escalate to the point where a person is seriously injured or killed,’ the statement said.
‘If you are a victim of Road Rage, call 911 and immediately begin driving toward the nearest police station or public place.’
The news of Downs’ arrest came the same day that police in Dallas arrested Joseph Sida, 49, also for allegedly pointing his gun at someone in a road rage incident.