A Philadelphia man is facing charges after he allegedly pointed a handgun at a motorist during a road rage incident in Hilltown Township, then spit on an arresting police officer and threatened another officer's family.
Joseph Dougherty, 26, has been charged with felony assault of a law enforcement officer along with misdemeanor counts of simple assault, reckless endangerment, terroristic threats, possession of a weapon, and DUI, in connection with the May 19 incident.
Police were initially dispatched to the Wawa at the intersection of Bethlehem Pike and Route 113 at 8:58 p.m. for a report of an armed subject. Arriving police spoke with the victim, who stated that two males in a red Mazda pulled along side him in the parking lot, at which point the driver — later identified as Dougherty — allegedly pointed a handgun at him and suggested the victim had cut him off in traffic.
The vehicle then fled the scene on Route 113 towards Route 309.
Montgomery Township Police stopped the vehicle a short time later, at which point Dougherty and a passenger were detained. Police recovered two handguns from the vehicle — one registered to Doughtery and one registered to the passenger — and noted that Dougherty spit on an officer while being detained, according to charging documents.
After being transported to the scene of the traffic stop, the victim positively identified Dougherty as the person who pointed a gun at them, police said. Dougherty and the passenger were subsequently taken into custody by Hilltown Police, who noted both men smelled of alcohol and had glassy, bloodshot eyes, according to the criminal complaint.
While in custody, Dougherty was described as “very uncooperative” and police alleged he threatened an officer, the officer’s family, and attempted to damage the interior of the patrol vehicle. The passenger was later released without charges after police determined Dougherty was the only person to brandish a firearm, police said.
Dougherty later refused to consent to a blood test for the DUI charge, police said.
Court records show Dougherty was arraigned the following morning by Magisterial District Judge Lisa Gaier, who set bail at 10% of $250,000 cash bail. He’s currently in custody at the Bucks County Correctional Facility after failing to post bail.
His next court appearance is a preliminary hearing on July 18 at 3 p.m. in front of Magisterial District Judge Regina Armitage.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause.
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