It’s hard to believe a “man of the cloth” would pull a gun in a Road Rage incident, but that is exactly what did happen on Wednesday near Palm City, Florida. 35-year-old William Rian Adams was arrested by Florida Highway Patrol after pulling a gun on a fellow motorist. The Priest is now facing charges of two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Priest 'brake checks' pickup truck
According to Florida Highway Police, the incident happened on a turnpike close to Palm City, where Adams, who is a priest at Calvary Episcopal Church in Fletcher, North Carolina, “attempted to brake check” a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck that was reportedly too closely following his Chevrolet Corvette.
As reported by ABC News, the driver of the pickup then attempted to pass Adams’ Corvette when the priest pointed a semi-automatic hand gun at their vehicle.
The occupants of the targeted vehicle were a 24-year-old man and Sharon Hughes, a 54-year-old woman, from St. Cloud, Fl. Hughes told CBS 12 Eyewitness News that she couldn’t believe what the priest did. She said she was shocked by the road rage incident, but reportedly wouldn’t comment further.
According to Florida Highway Patrol the gun in the priest's possession was a Glock 22 which was handed in as evidence at the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office.
Priest William Rian Adams of NC's Calvary Episcopal Church arrested in Fla. road rage incident after pulling out gun https://t.co/dxBSUexjPP pic.twitter.com/3DiUwgAG79
— ABC News (@ABC) July 8, 2017
Motorists on turnpike shocked by the priest’s actions
Kevin Brown, a motorist on the turnpike, commented about the road rage incident saying you would think being a priest he would have better control.
He said it was “kinda comical” in one sense, but also sad. Dori Angel, another motorist on the scene, said it was weird, as you wouldn’t expect a priest to be so angry.
Priest charged with aggravated assault after he 'pulled out a gun at a pick-up truck during a road rage altercation' https://t.co/Bu5pzxsHJd
— Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) July 8, 2017
CBS 12 checked up on Adams and found he had started as a priest at the Calvary Episcopal Church in Fletcher, N.C.
in September 2016 after spending 10 years as a chaplain in the military, before an injury sustained in a helicopter accident led to him retiring.
Sometimes #pride is like a stiff drink, you just gotta shoot it. #spirituality
— W. Rian Adams (@FatherRian) July 5, 2017
How drivers should handle a road rage incident
Sgt. Mark Wysocky, the public affairs officer for the Florida Highway Patrol explained that should a driver be targeted in a road rage incident, it is important to try to keep calm.
He said even though you may be upset by the incident, never try to retaliate and always try to keep distance between yourself and the other driver. Wysocky said should a driver feel threatened by a fellow motorist in a road rage incident they should immediately contact the Florida Highway Patrol for help.
