Austin man charged after allegedly pointing gun at driver in road rage incident
(ABC 6 News) — An Austin man is facing charges after allegedly pointing a gun at a driver during a road rage incident.
Donavon Hegna, 28, has been charged with 2nd-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, terroristic threats for displaying a replica firearm, and illegal transportation of a loaded firearm.
The charges stem from an incident on March 21 around 8:30 a.m. when Lt. Wollenburg of the Austin Police Department responded to a report of a male subject pointing a long gun at a driver following a road rage incident that occurred on 14th Street NW in the City of Austin.
According to court documents, Lt. Wollenburg spoke to the victim of the incident. The victim said he did not know the streets well and was traveling was on 4th Avenue NW and going by the athletic field when the incident started.
The victim said he was behind a school bus at an intersection waiting for it to make a right turn because he knew it would make a wide turn. Hegna then allegedly began honking his horn and flipping him off telling him to go.
After the bus turned, the victim continued driving when Hegna allegedly followed behind, sped up, was tailgating and taunting him.
When the victim stopped at the red light on 8th Avenue NW, Hegna allegedly drove up on his left side in the turn lane and confronted him. The victim told Hegna, ““It is a single lane, you can’t make it into a two-lane turn, learn how to drive.”
The victim then continued northbound on 14th Avenue NW when it became a two-lane road. Hegna then allegedly pulled up next to the victim again.
The victim said Hegna removed a black shirt or black cover from a gun that was in his front passenger seat and pointed it at the victim for 2-3 seconds.
The victim described the gun as a black long gun with a big barrel, possibly with dark colored
wood on it.
The victim said Hegna then sped away, and he got Hegna’s license plate number and called the police.
Lt. Wollenburg ran the license plates, and at around 11:05 a.m., he spotted Hegna’s vehicle. He initiated a traffic stop and found a 12-gauge shotgun, a BB gun, a pellet handgun, a .22 caliber rifle and .22 ammo in the vehicle.
Lt. Wollenburg placed Hegna under arrest and took him to Mower County Jail.
At the jail, Lt. Wollenburg processed the evidence and found the shotgun, BB gun, rifle, and pellet gun were all loaded.
Hegna faces a maximum sentence of 7 years in prison, a $14,000 fine, or both if convicted of 2nd-degree assault.
Hegna’s next court date is April 3 at 10 a.m.