Souderton Man Gets Probation for Brandishing Firearm During Road Rage Incident

Keith Heffintrayer | North Penn Now•

A Souderton man has been sentenced to probation for brandishing a firearm during a road rage incident in July 2022 in Lower Gwynedd Township.

Elliot Benner, 32, pleaded guilty on Feb. 20 to one misdemeanor count of simple assault, and he was subsequently sentenced to two years’ probation, court records show. Additional charges of stalking, simple assault, reckless endangerment and harassment were dropped in exchange for his plea.

On July 18, 2022 at 7:33 p.m., police responded to a call from a man who said a male driver allegedly pointed a gun at him multiple times in while driving in Lower Gwynedd. The victim told police he repeatedly attempted to drive away from the man and did not know who the man was or why he pointed a gun at him and chased him on the highway, according to charging documents.

Investigators said they determined the car belonged to Benner’s 85-year-old grandmother. She told police that her grandson borrowed her car at 6:30 p.m. and provided police with Benner’s cell phone number, the report states.

Benner did not answer calls from the police and did not respond to a mobile text message sent to his number, police said. Several days later, the victim identified a photograph of Benner as the man who chased him on the highway and aimed a gun at him multiple times, police said.

As part of his sentence, Benner will be evaluated for anger management, and he must surrender all firearms to the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office. Benner was also ordered to pay court costs, court records show.