Road Rage Priest Pulls Gun On a Mother and Her Son
The 35-year-old Episcopal priest — Rev. William Rian Adams — is facing two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon since there were two victims in the vehicle that he claimed to police officers was the true aggressor.
Adams is identified by police as a priest at Calvary Episcopal Church. They also reported that Adams began serving at that church in September 2016. A former U.S. Army chaplain, after Adams spent 10 years in the military as a chaplain he was forced into retirement due to a helicopter accident injury.
The Highway Patrol reports that on the night of July 5, 2017, Father Adams pulled his bright red Corvette sports car in front of a pickup truck driven by a woman with a young boy seated next to her. Cops say that the enraged clergyman began to sporadically hit the brakes.
At that point the truck attempted to pass the Corvette at which point Fr. Adams pulled out his handgun and pointed it at the truck in a threatening gesture.
Troopers said that Fr. Adams told them the truck pulled alongside him — and started yelling and screaming — and threw a can of soda at his car. Adams claims that he never pulled out his gun, a Glock 22, according to a report. The firearms manufacturer said it introduced the G22 .40 to close the gap between the .45 automatic, and its popular 9mm.
“The Florida Highway Patrol remains committed to keeping our roadways safe for all motorists,” said Colonel Gene Spaulding, Director of the Florida Highway Patrol. “We can all do our part in reducing traffic crashes by being cautious, patient and courteous while driving, especially around big trucks and buses.”
During the 2016 TACT campaign, law enforcement statewide issued 67,144 citations related to aggressive driving behaviors. The first TACT campaign in 2017 took place from February 24 to March 9, and 15,785 citations were issued.
Fr. Adams was released on $15,000 bond.
