Rush hour, road rage, and a gun: Bucks County police search for suspect

Bucks County authorities say they have developed several leads in their investigation of a suspected road-rage-induced shooting that occurred off I-95 during the Monday evening rush hour.

The incident occurred just before 5 p.m. as the drivers of two vehicles were exiting I-95 onto Route 413 in Bristol, authorities said. Police said gunfire erupted after the driver of a 2011 silver Hyundai Accent merged in front of a 2003 Buick Rendezvous SUV.

The male driver of the SUV then pulled up alongside the Hyundai and began screaming at the passenger in that vehicle to lower his window. Once the passenger did so, the driver of the SUV took out a .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun and fired twice at the sedan, according to police.

One bullet struck the rubber trim at the top of the passenger-side door, authorities said, and the other went through the right rear panel of the car.

The SUV driver is described as a white man around 30 years old with brown hair, a mustache, and a goatee, police said. The victims described his SUV as either silver and black, or tan and gold, with yellow "haze" front lights, according to police.

Authorities ask anyone with information about the incident to call the Bristol Township Police Tip Line at 267-812-3036.

Bristol Township Police Lt. Ralph Johnson said road-rage shootings are uncommon in his jurisdiction, but he has noticed an increase in general road rage in the last year.

"I don't know if it is because of construction or the divided electorate," Johnson said, "or both."

Monday's shooting came more than four months since the road-rage shooting death of Bianca Roberson in Chester County, which once again brought national attention to rising tensions on congested highways. Some evidence suggests reports of road rage involving guns more than doubled nationally between 2014 and 2016.