A Gaithersburg man was arrested and charged Tuesday with assault after police said he lost his cool last week and pulled a rifle on another motorist as they were driving along Sam Eig Highway.

Kenneth Johnson, 18, was arguing with the victim, another driver, around 7:20 a.m. on Feb. 8 as the two drove west on Sam Eig from the Intercounty Connector to Great Seneca Highway, police said. During the verbal exchange, Johnson suddenly reached into the backseat of his car and pulled out a .22 caliber rifle and made as if to shoot the victim, said Sgt. Jennifer McNeal, a Montgomery County police spokeswoman.

McNeal, who was driving her patrol car nearby at the time of the call, said she was surprised by the nature of the report.

“We’ve heard of incidents before where there might be a gun in the car, but this was unusual enough to really get my attention,” she said. “I don’t know what caused the original confrontation, but it all took place while they were driving.”

According to the police report, Johnson panicked when he noticed the victim was on a cell phone and sped off toward Interstate 270.

But not before the victim was able to provide police with a description of his car and license plate, McNeal said.

Police eventually located Johnson on Tuesday and, in a search of his car, a red Honda, they found the rifle still inside, McNeal said. While it is impossible to say whether the rifle was loaded during the argument Feb. 8, McNeal indicated that other items of evidence were also seized from the Honda.

Johnson was charged with first- and second-degree assault and released on a $5,000 bond Tuesday afternoon. Even though a warrant for Johnson’s arrest was filed the day of the incident, McNeal was not able to speculate as to why it took officers until Tuesday to locate him.

No attorney information had been listed for Johnson in an online search of court records Thursday.

jarias@gazette.net