Man arrested after allegedly pointing gun at a passing driver

IDAHO FALLS – A 62-year-old man was arrested Sunday after he reportedly pointed a gun at another driver during a road rage incident.

Rupert Ross Carson was charged with two counts of felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

On Sunday around 2:04 pm, Bonneville County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a weapons call in the area of East Lincoln Road and East Iona Road in Bonneville County.

The reporting party said a male in a red Ford Taurus pulled up next to his car, held up a gun, and pointed it at them.

A deputy met with the victim, and as they were speaking, the victim pointed out that the red Ford Taurus was driving toward them.

The deputy watched as “the red Ford Taurus dove slowly past us, westbound on East Lincoln road,” and motioned for the Taurus to stop, according to the police report.

The Taurus pulled over on the north side of East Lincoln Road, so the deputy drove over to park behind him.

The officer asked for the man’s drivers license, and identified him as Carson.

When asked if he had pointed a weapon at the victim, Carson initially denied it but said he had a gun out.

According to the deputy, Carson later “stated that he was wrong and he was sorry.” He also told the deputy that “he was scared because it was a big truck that ran really close to him” and that “it was like they had road rage.”

Carson said the victim “shouldn’t mess with him” and that he “wanted them to get away from him.”

When asked by the deputy what exactly happened, Carson said he was turning right onto East Lincoln Road when a pickup truck came really close to him, passed him, and honked his horn at him.

Carson said he became upset and irritated, so he passed the pickup. The pickup passed him again, so Carson says he “pulled out his firearm” as he passed him a second time.

Carson says although he did pull out a gun, he did not point it at the victim.

When the deputy interviewed the victim, he stated that Carson pulled in front of him onto East Lincoln Road.

According to the victim, “in order to avoid a collision with (Carson), he went into the westbound lane and passed him.”

The victim said that afterward, Carson was following him closely until they both stopped at the intersection of Bone Road and East Lincoln Road.

At this point, the victim says Carson proceeded to pass him and then “hit his brakes” before he “pointed the handgun right at (the victim).”

The victim described the gun as a “black handgun with a rail system by the trigger guard” and stated that he believed the weapon was loaded as it was pointed at him.

At this point, Carson changed his story and said he wasn’t sure if the victim had passed him a second time. He also said he “moved his arm with the handgun in the direction of the victim’s vehicle when they were side by side on the road.”

According to the deputy, Carson was “being very cryptic with his statements and kept changing his story on what happened.”

At that point, the deputy arrested Carson and took him to the Bonneville County Jail, where he was booked. His bail was set to $5,000, which he posted and was released on Tuesday.

Carson is expected to appear for a preliminary hearing on July 26. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison.

Though Carson has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.