Sykesville Man, Minor Charged With Pointing Toy Gun at Traffic

Troopers from the Westminster Barrack charged a Sykesville man and a minor with reckless endangerment Wednesday afternoon after they were accused of pointing a toy gun at a motorist while driving on Route 97 in Westminster, according to a Maryland State Police press release.

Shortly after 2 p.m. Wednesday, a caller contacted the Westminster Barrack to report being behind an older model blue Buick on Route 97 near Westminster High School when a passenger in the vehicle rolled down a window, leaned out and pointed a large rifle in the witness' direction. 

The caller told state police dispatchers that he backed away from the Buick and noticed the passenger again hanging from the same window and point the large rifle again. 

A state trooper stopped the suspect vehicle and charged the two occupants,  a 42-year-old Sykesville man and a 17-year-old juvenile, with second degree assault and reckless endangerment. 

During a search of the suspect vehicle, troopers found an Airsoft gun that closely resembled an assault rifle. Most "toy" firearms are painted orange near the end of the gun barrel to indicate they are toys. The orange band on the gun had been painted black to make it look more like a real firearm, according to Maryland State Police. 

Anyone who may have witnessed a similar incident involving a blue Buick, or who witnessed this incident, is asked to contact Trooper Mark Lyons of the Westminster Barrack at 410-386-3000.