A Stafford man was charged yesterday after brandishing a phony firearm during a road rage incident in North Stafford.

On December 30th deputies descended on the 300 block of Garrisonville Road for a disturbance with a weapon complaint. The victim reported a suspect pointed a handgun at her during a road rage incident near the Chick-fil-A. She was able to provide a detailed description of the suspect and suspect vehicle.

Sergeant A.I. Assur and Deputy H. Rivera located the suspect vehicle traveling southbound on Richmond Highway and maintained surveillance as other deputies responded to assist with a high-risk traffic stop. The stop was conducted in the 1500 block of Courthouse Road and the weapon wielding suspect was detained without incident. A hoax handgun was located in the vehicle. The imitation iron was found to be useful for storing cigarettes, lighting cigarettes and scaring other motorists during a road rage incident.

The ersatz equalizer was seized as evidence and the driver was arrested for brandishing. The magistrate released the suspect on an unsecured personal recognizance bond.