Local
La Vergne police say driver admitted firing gun during dispute on Large Poppy Drive
A man was arrested after a driver reported that he fired a shot during a road-rage encounter Thursday night in La Vergne. Police say he told investigators he thought he was being followed and fired into the air; he faces an aggravated assault charge.
A man was arrested Thursday night after La Vergne police said he admitted firing a gun during a road-rage confrontation on Large Poppy Drive.
Police said a woman called 911 at about 7 p.m. after another driver cut her off while she was heading home. She told officers she followed the vehicle through a neighborhood near Snowdrop Drive and Large Poppy Drive. The other driver pulled over on Large Poppy Drive, and, as she began backing away, he got out and fired one shot, according to investigators.
Officers later found the woman on Snowdrop Drive near Waldron Road. Both front tires on her car were flat, but police said they had been damaged by screws, not gunfire. Investigators found a spent shell casing on Large Poppy Drive but could not locate a bullet nearby.
Detectives tracked the vehicle to a home on Dahlia Drive. Police said the man there acknowledged driving and told officers he believed he was being followed and became scared. He said he got out of the car and fired a shot into the air, according to police. Officers collected a gun from the home as evidence.
The man was charged with aggravated assault, a Class C felony. Police did not identify him in the information they released. The charge is an allegation; a defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.