A Vancouver man was sentenced Wednesday to seven years in prison for shooting at another driver in central Vancouver after an earlier road rage incident on Interstate 205.
Montgomery A. Hedges, 27, pleaded guilty in Clark County Superior Court to second-degree assault with a deadly weapon enhancement and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. He was originally charged with first-degree assault, drive-by shooting and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.
Another Vancouver man, Tejay Nunya Castle, 32, was also arrested in connection with the shooting, but he was exonerated before charges were filed, court records show. Senior Deputy Prosecutor Jessica Smith said the case against Castle was dismissed because there was insufficient evidence.
The road rage incident occurred around 7 p.m. May 12 and involved a light blue, two-door Honda Civic. It ended near the 7500 block of Northeast 41st Street when the Honda’s driver fired multiple rounds at the victim’s vehicle. At least one round hit the victim’s vehicle, but he was uninjured, police said. Smith said Wednesday that one bullet penetrated the driver’s door and landed in the victim’s lap.
Prior to the shooting, the victim and Hedges met in a parking lot in the 8400 block of Northeast Vancouver Mall Drive, and an argument ensued. Smith said both Hedges and the victim displayed firearms during the argument but ultimately left.
Shortly after, Smith said, Hedges saw the victim’s car again, and the victim threw a mason jar at Hedges’ car. She said Hedges pulled the emergency brake in his car, doing a 180-degree turn, before shooting at the man.
Investigators recovered a shell casing in the area, as well as five more casings between the 4600 and 4700 blocks of Northeast 77th Avenue.
The next day, a blue, two-door Honda Civic was involved in a rollover crash near Northeast 59th Street and 147th Avenue. The driver ran from the scene, court records state.
Investigators found a gun outside of the crashed Honda that they determined matched the shell casings they found, Smith said. They also used surveillance video, store receipts and other items found inside to identify Hedges as the suspect in the shooting, according to the affidavit.
Hedges admitted to firing one round at the victim and said the firearm recovered from the wrecked Honda was the same. Investigators said he also admitted to wrecking the car and fleeing, court records say.
