Man arrested for allegedly aiming gel blaster at driver on Augusta Highway
The passenger of a Toyota sedan allegedly pointed a gel blaster rifle at the driver of another car in a road rage incident on a major highway on Tuesday.
Police & Courts
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A man has been arrested for allegedly pointing a gel blaster at a driver during a road rage incident near Port Pirie on Tuesday.
Police say three people in a fawn-coloured Toyota sedan were abusing the victim and his passengers while driving aggressively on the Augusta Highway at Bungama just before 4pm.
The driver of the Toyota allegedly tailgated the victim’s car for some time before driving next to him.
A 28-year-old Whyalla man in the front passenger seat then allegedly pointed a gel blaster rifle in the victim’s direction.
A short time later, officers found the Toyota on the Augusta Highway, approximately 5km south of Warnertown.
The car’s occupants were all removed without incident while officers searched the vehicle, finding three gel blasters inside.
The Whyalla man was charged with aggravated assault and bailed to appear in the Port Pirie Magistrates Court on November 30.
Gel blasters have been a topic of controversy recently after SA Police categorised them as firearms in June.
The move rocked retailers, who said it would lead to job losses in the industry.
At the time, Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said the weapons meet the “definition of a firearm” after conducting a ballistics assessment.
“We’ve been looking at gel blasters for some time and continually updating our ballistic assessment as the product changes and becomes more sophisticated,” he said.