Southington Man Charged With Pulling Gun in Road Rage Incident

A Mount Vernon Road resident is facing charges including brandishing a firearm after police said he pulled a gun on two men at a stoplight after the men were allegedly “starring at him” for too long.

Officers were notified of the interaction, which took place along West Street near one of the intersections at Interstate 84, shortly after as the two victims called in to report his license plate number after following him to Mount Vernon Road, police said.

Samuel Alvarez, 57, was taken into custody later in the day without incident and was arraigned in Bristol Superior Court Thursday on charges of second-degree breach of peace, first-degree threatening and brandishing a firearm. He was released after his bond was reduced, court officials said.

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“Alvarez allegedly pointed a handgun in the direction of two males, who were seated in a vehicle next to his as they were stopped side by side waiting for a red traffic light,” Southington Police Sgt. Jeffrey Dobratz said Thursday.

The men, upset at the incident, followed the vehicle to Jude Lane and Mount Vernon Road before losing site of it, police said. The license plate allowed police to contact Alvarez, of 1223 Mount Vernon Road, at his home.

“When officers made contact with Alvarez, he was reaching inside an open safe. An ammo magazine was located on Alvarez's person,” Dobratz said. “It was determined that Alvarez was putting in a handgun the safe and it matched the description of the weapon described by the victims. The magazine found in Alvarez's pocket belonged to the handgun that he was putting into the safe.”

There were no injuries reported during this incident.

According to the three men involved, there were no prior confrontations or events. Police said Alvarez seemed to be provoked by the way the two men were staring at him.

Alvarez has no prior arrests, according to court records, and is due back in court in February according to officials.

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