May 26, 2016 3 min read

A Detroit man is charged with attempted homicide after state police said he fired three shots at another car, striking a passenger in the arm, on Interstate 79 in Perry Township during a lengthy road rage incident early Wednesday morning.

State police received a call from a motorist at 1:18 a.m. saying a person had fired shots at his car while the two vehicles were traveling north approaching the Mt. Morris exit.

Ronnie Downey told police a passenger in the car, Ronald Kovach, was shot once in the right arm, which police said caused “severe damage (and) required advanced medical treatment.” State police Sgt. Steve Dowlin, the commander of the Waynesburg barracks, said Kovach was taken to Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, W.Va., for treatment and was reported in stable condition with nonlife-threatening injuries.

Two troopers stopped the other vehicle, an SUV, farther down the interstate just north of the Ruff Creek exit, Dowlin said. They arrested one of the passengers, Nicholas Lamont Carter, 26, and charged him with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, illegal possession of a firearm, carrying a firearm without a permit, receiving stolen property and two counts of reckless endangerment.

Police said Carter threw the handgun out the window following the shooting, but troopers found it by the side of the highway and learned it had been reported stolen in West Virginia.

Investigators said the situation began near Fairmont, W.Va., when the SUV was driving erratically and nearly crashed into the other car. Downey said he followed the SUV during a nearly 28-mile road rage chase trying to get the vehicle’s registration when a passenger leaned out a window and fired back at his car, striking Kovach, police said.

“There was a rather serious disagreement along the highway and this incident transpired,” Dowlin said. “We’re just glad we were able to quickly apprehend the individual involved in this.”

In an interview with police, Carter told investigators Downey’s vehicle was swerving at the SUV he was riding in and nearly crashed into them.

Carter said he was traveling north with three acquaintances to a bus station in Pittsburgh when the incident occurred.

Police said Carter was not permitted to possess a weapon because of a previous felony conviction for assault in the commission of a robbery.

District Judge Glenn Bates arraigned Carter Wednesday afternoon and ordered him to be held in Greene County jail without bond because of the attempted homicide charge and an outstanding warrant from Ohio. Carter’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 7 at 11 a.m.

Dowlin said more charges could be filed against other people involved in the incident. He added “it’s very fortunate that this was not severely worse” and asked drivers to avoid road rage situations whenever possible.

“They could’ve driven off the roadway and struck someone who wasn’t involved,” Dowlin said. “We’re fortunate it ended this way rather than catastrophically.”