May 11, 2016
A 50-year-old Philadelphia man with a license to carry a firearm was arrested and will be charged with allegedly firing a shot into the door of another motorist's vehicle during a road rage incident on the Blue Route last week, Pennsylvania State Police said.
Anthony Richardson, of the Overbrook Park section of the city, was taken into custody at his home by state troopers acting on a tip investigators received during the weekend, Trooper Brian Maturo said at a press conference at the Pennsylvania State Police's Belmont barracks on Wednesday.
State police also recovered the dark blue, older-model Lincoln Town Car the suspect allegedly was driving at the time, Maturo said.
Richardson had not yet been arraigned on charges early Wednesday afternoon. Maturo said he expected that he would be arraigned later Wednesday and remanded to Montgomery County Prison.
In their affidavit, investigators noted Richardson's alleged involvement in another road rage incident in Philadelphia, but it was not immediately clear if he was wanted in that case.
"In the past, he does have prior road rage habits," Maturo said, "and he displayed a firearm at that time."
Richardson does have a permit to carry a gun that was issued in Philadelphia, Maturo said.
His arrest by state police on Wednesday stems from an alleged road rage incident on I-476 that took place shortly before 3 p.m. last Thursday.
Police said Richardson and the male victim were traveling north on the Blue Route when the altercation began. It escalated when Richardson passed the victim's vehicle on the highway's shoulder, and he allegedly fired a shot at the victim's vehicle with a .32-caliber firearm.
Maturo said the bullet pierced the lower left quarter of the victim's passenger door and lodged in the center console.
This happened near mile marker 16.1, police said, and after the incident, Richardson allegedly left the Blue Route at Exit 16 headed toward Conshohocken.
State police released a sketch of the suspect based on the victim's description, which Maturo said helped with the investigation.
"The sketch artist did an excellent job, comparing the sketch to the actor," Maturo said.
