A Massachusetts man is facing charges after allegedly firing off several shots on Route 391 in Chicopee in the early morning hours on Sunday.
Jonathan Roman-Miranda, 22, of Holyoke was arrested in connection with the incident. Although the exact charges are unclear, state police say Roman-Miranda has an active firearm license.
Investigators say a trooper was responding to a report of a car fire on Route 391 just before 3 a.m. when he was informed that shots were fired. When the trooper got to the scene, he found a 2005 Nissan Altima completely on fire in the breakdown lane, with two other vehicles nearby.
The trooper learned the people in the other two cars had stopped to help those in the on-fire Altima, and the people who had been inside the Altima were no longer there.
Investigators then learned from the Chicopee Police Department that an off-duty police lieutenant had seen the fire and stopped to help, when the driver of the Altima got out of the car and started talking to him. When the off-duty police lieutenant asked if anyone else was in the car, the driver, later identified as Roman-Miranda, went to the passenger side front window and began banging on it, while others started banging on the window as well.
Roman-Miranda then allegedly went to the front of the and pulled a firearm from his waistband, firing several shots off while pointing it in the air.
The off-duty police lieutenant, who was unarmed, left the scene.
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Eventually the car fire was put out and Route 391 was shut down as an investigation started, which eventually determined Roman-Miranda as a suspect.
Roman-Miranda was eventually tracked down at his Holyoke home, and a search warrant was executed on his home and a firearm was recovered.
His bail was set at $15,000. He'll be arraigned in Chicopee District Court. It's unclear if he has an attorney.
