Tri-Cities Man Flashes Gun at Teens in Road Rage Incident

Teens involved in a Tri-Cities road rage incident caught on video a man in a blue Corvette flashing his gun at them.

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Gun Flashed at Teens in Tri-Cities Road Rage Incident

Yesterday, teens were driving in a diesel truck near Road 68 in Pasco when a light blue Corvette with the license plate number "Fastnlow" started tailgating them. After the driver of the Corvette followed them close for a distance, the teen driver of the truck "rolled smoke" (or blew black smoke out the exhaust) to try and get him to back off. Instead, the driver of the Corvette allegedly got angry, pulled along side of the truck, and started yelling "FU" at the teens in the truck. The older male (captured on video) then yells a warning saying "FAFO", or basically "mess" around and find out.  The term is a well-known "cheeky way to tell people that if they play with fire, they might get burned" according to the Washington Post which crowned the phrase "Word of the Year in 2022". The teens answered the insane threat saying "I love you too", and that is where the driver of the Corvette made his biggest mistake.

The Driver of the Corvette Shows His Gun

After the teens respond to the driver with "I love you too", the man allegedly reaches down, grabs his gun in a holster, and clearly flashes it as a threat. The only reason I say "allegedly" is because the man has not been convicted yet, but the entire incident was captured on video and is very clear. After the incident, the story was posted on a local Facebook forum which started arguing about the incident. Some people thought the man was within his right to flash the gun, while others specifically said it was illegal.

The Corvette Driver's Actions: Legal or Not?

One user claimed, "We're a stand your ground state and if he was being provoked he has every right to use the visual of his gun to say back off". Others were quick to point out that they were very wrong. "This is incorrect, be careful not to spread false info out there." Another saying "Stand your ground refers to either you being physically attacked and saw (no) other way out or you are in your private home. This is not legal, I hope you don't carry." The actual law in Washington State is written that an "individual can stand their ground and use force without retreating, in order to protect and defend themselves or others against threats" according to WashingtonLaw.com. The law specifically states the person showing the weapon needs to have "reasonable grounds to believe, that he is in imminent danger of death or great bodily harm". In this case, the man in the blue Corvette is obviously not in danger. Not being a lawyer myself, the police did finally answer the question if it was legal or not just hours later.

Corvette Driver Arrested and Booked in Franklin County Jail

After being reported to the police, they examined the evidence and then arrested the driver of the light blue Corvette. Franklin County documents show the man (identified in Franklin County jail records) was arrested and charged with WEAPON DISPLAY/ CARRY / EXHIBIT W/INTENT TO INTIMIDATE at 5:39 PM on 10/4/2023. The Corvette driver was then released on a $1,000 bond according to Franklin County records. This is not the only incident recently in Tri-Cities. Another user on the post claimed they also recently had a gun pulled on them during a different rear-end accident. Police in the area have been getting lots of reports like these recently, so if you are carrying a weapon make sure you understand your rights within the boundaries of the law. Let this be a lesson to anyone who is currently carrying a gun and does not understand exactly when and where it is "actually" legal to use it. Showing it as a threat when your life is NOT in danger is definitely not one of those times.