WATERVILLE — City police arrested a Fairfield man Wednesday after he allegedly pulled a pellet gun on another motorist in what police called an apparent road-rage incident.
Joseph Ciampa, 25, of Norridgewock Road, was arrested shortly after 9 a.m. on two charges of criminal threatening and an outstanding warrant for failing to pay a fine in Belfast District Court, police said. Criminal threatening is a class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.
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Waterville Police Chief Joseph Massey said a person who phoned police reported Ciampa had pulled a pistol during an altercation after Ciampa allegedly cut off the caller on Kennedy Memorial Drive.
The caller, whom Massey would not identify, followed the green Volkswagen with New Hampshire plates operated by Ciampa onto Airport Road until Ciampa pulled over.
As the person approached the vehicle, Ciampa allegedly pointed a silver revolver with a black handle at the motorist and said, “Dude, I’ve got a gun. I could shoot you,” according to Massey.
Ciampa then pulled away, traveling farther down Airport Road and into a parking lot.
“Unfortunately, the complainant decided that he was going to pursue some more, so he drove into the very same parking lot, knowing this guy had a gun,” Massey said. “According to him, what he was trying to do was to block this guy from leaving until the police got there.”
While in the parking lot, Ciampa left his vehicle, the caller said, approaching the passenger window with his hand behind his back.
Officer Chase Fabian arrived at the parking lot on Airport Road after Ciampa left, traveling toward Robert LaFleur Airport, where there is no outlet for through traffic.
Minutes later, as Ciampa headed back toward Kennedy Memorial Drive, he stopped voluntarily in front of Fabian’s police cruiser, Massey said. Fabian held him at gunpoint until backup officers arrived.
Massey said police found a pellet gun matching the description given by the complainant in the Volkswagen.
“Although it looked exactly like a real gun, it was a pellet gun,” Massey said.
Police also found four knives and a stun gun in the vehicle, Massey said. According to the police chief, Ciampa denied he threatened the person with the pellet gun.
Ciampa was taken to Kennebec County jail in Augusta. Bail was not set because of the outstanding warrant for unpaid fines.
Massey said it is “very dangerous” for motorists to follow another vehicle if they are cut off or involved in any type of road rage.
“We would never encourage anybody to approach a driver after a road-rage incident, because you just never know,” Massey said.
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