A man was arrested Friday afternoon after police say he pulled a handgun during a road rage incident in Maricopa. He was later found to be driving drunk.
Maricopa police officers responded shortly before 4 p.m. after receiving reports of a road rage incident near Honeycutt and White-and-Parker Roads. Witnesses told police the driver of a white Lexus had displayed a firearm during the confrontation.
Officers stopped the vehicle and identified the driver as Noe A. Rojas Romero. During a search, police found a black Smith & Wesson handgun in the vehicle's center console, according to a probable cause statement filed in court today.
Rojas Romero told officers he had been involved in a road rage altercation but denied showing a firearm, saying the gun never left the glove box. Mack Lewis and another witness told police that Rojas Romero exited his vehicle at a stoplight, challenged Lewis to a fight and later returned holding a handgun in his right hand.
Video footage reviewed by police showed the Lexus stopped in the roadway, obstructing traffic, and the driver getting out of the vehicle, authorities said. Lewis told officers he believed Rojas Romero was challenging him to a fight and retreated when he saw the gun.
Lewis also reported that Rojas Romero made references to "MS-13" during the confrontation, which he believed may have been provoked by his San Francisco 49ers hat and bumper sticker. Police noted Rojas Romero was wearing a blue UCLA hat and had a black bandana in his pocket, while the vehicle contained white and black bandanas on the seats.
MS-13 is a transnational criminal gang whose members traditionally associate with the color blue and the number 13, linking them to Southern California-based gangs, according to press reports. Their primary rivals are the Norteños, who are commonly associated with the color red and the number 14, representing Northern California.
A passenger in Rojas Romero's vehicle told officers there was a firearm in the car and said both she and the suspect had been drinking earlier at a swap meet.
Officers reported Rojas Romero showed signs of intoxication, including a strong odor of alcohol, bloodshot and watery eyes, slurred speech and glossy eyes. A records check revealed he has multiple prior felony convictions.
Rojas Romero was booked into the Pinal County jail on charges of disorderly conduct, threatening or intimidating, obstructing a roadway, possession of a firearm, and DUI.