Key Takeaways
- David Anderson, 58, of Loudoun County, Virginia, is charged with first-degree assault after a road rage incident in Montgomery County, Maryland.
- Police say Anderson followed a woman who had passed his black Nissan Pathfinder, then tried to block her car at a stop sign on Barnesville Road.
- Anderson got out of his vehicle and pointed a black firearm at the woman, threatening her and referencing that she had passed him.
- The U.S. Marshals Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested Anderson on November 5 as he was leaving his Virginia home.
- Investigators later found a pepperball gun inside Anderson’s vehicle after interviewing him on November 9.
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GAITHERSBURG, MD — A 58-year-old Virginia man is charged with first-degree assault after police say he followed a woman who had passed him on a Montgomery County road, tried to block her car at a stop sign, and pointed a gun at her.
David Anderson, of Loudoun County, Virginia, was arrested Nov. 5 by the U.S. Marshals Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force as he was leaving his home in Virginia, according to Montgomery County police, as reported by WJLA.
Officers responded around 8:53 a.m. on Oct. 14 to a report of an aggravated assault in the area of Barnesville Road and Conoy Road.
Police said the woman was driving when she passed a black Nissan Pathfinder. Investigators later determined Anderson was behind the wheel. Police said he appeared to become irritated and began following her.
She stopped at a stop sign in the 18000 block of Barnesville Road. Police say Anderson tried to block her vehicle with his. He got out. He pointed a black firearm at her. According to police, he threatened her and referenced the fact that she had passed him earlier.
That is the trigger police describe. A pass.
If you carry, this is a scenario to run through in your head now, before it ever happens. The danger started the moment a driver began following her, not when he stepped out of his SUV. Once you realize someone is following you, the mindset shifts from getting where you were going to staying mobile and getting help. Call 911 while you drive. Do not lead the person to your home. Head toward a police station or a busy, well-lit place. At stop signs and lights, leave enough room in front of you to pull around if someone tries to box you in. A car you can still drive is your best way out.
The other side of this lesson is aimed at anyone who carries and has ever felt their blood pressure climb when someone passed them. Getting passed is not a threat. Following someone, cutting them off at a stop sign, and showing a gun is the kind of choice that ends with a federal fugitive task force waiting outside your house.
Detectives identified Anderson and obtained an arrest warrant. After his arrest, investigators interviewed him on Nov. 9 and searched his vehicle. Police said they found a pepperball gun inside.
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The reporting does not say whether that is what he pointed at the woman. From her seat, it would not have mattered. A black gun pointed at you at a stop sign is a gun, and nobody in that position has time to find out otherwise.
Anderson was extradited to Maryland and is being held without bond at the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit. The first-degree assault charge is an allegation, and he is presumed innocent unless convicted.
