WASHINGTON CITY — A Nevada man accused of pointing a semiautomatic pistol at a motorist during an alleged road rage incident on southbound Interstate 15 near Toquerville was arrested at gunpoint during a traffic stop by the Utah Highway Patrol over the weekend.
On Sunday, the St. George Communications Center received a call reporting a possible road rage incident shortly before noon on southbound Interstate 15 near mile marker 30 in Washington County.
According to charging documents filed in support of the arrest, the caller said they were heading south on I-15 when they noticed a red pickup truck traveling alongside the complainant was driven by a man who appeared agitated and pointed a weapon at them in a threatening manner.
The weapon was described as a black semiautomatic pistol with an extended magazine.
The witness also told authorities that the pickup had Nevada plates and was occupied by two men, including the driver who was wearing a black hoodie at the time of the incident.
Troopers responded and were heading south along I-15 when they spotted the suspect’s pickup near the Green Spring Exit in Washington City and conducted a high-risk traffic stop while additional units responded to the scene.
During the stop, the report states, both occupants were ordered to exit the truck at gunpoint and both were detained by police.
The driver was later identified as 19-year-old Gabriel Julian Archuletta, of Las Vegas, Nevada.
During a search of the pickup, troopers recovered a black handgun that was located under the passenger’s side seat that matched the firearm described during the 911 call. Troopers also determined it was the same firearm that Archuletta reportedly pointed at the passing motorist and the gun was then collected as evidence.
The driver was arrested and booked into Purgatory Correctional Facility facing one misdemeanor count of threatening the use of a dangerous weapon during a fight and is being held on $3,500 bail. The passenger was not identified or charged in connection with the incident.
No injuries were reported.
The incident was investigated by the Utah Highway Patrol, while the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and officers with the Washington City Police Department responded to the scene to assist.
This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
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