Background: The 200 block of Webster Street in Hudson, New Hampshire (Google Maps). Inset: Eric Chadbourne (Hudson Police Department).
A New Hampshire man allegedly brandished a gun in frustration over traffic delays stemming from a car accident, according to local authorities.
The Hudson Police Department has charged 38-year-old Eric Chadbourne with criminal threatening with a deadly weapon, a felony. The incident reportedly took place last Thursday.
The crash, involving a car and a UPS truck, occurred on Webster Street in Hudson during the late afternoon or early evening, officials stated. Responding officers were informed not only of the accident but also of an individual at the scene who purportedly had a firearm.
Nearby body shop employees witnessed the collision and quickly acted to assist those involved. However, the impact of the accident extended beyond just the vehicles’ occupants.
Chadbourne, driving a white Chevrolet Avalanche pickup, allegedly grew irate over the traffic delays caused by the crash, according to the police. Witnesses recounted his behavior during the incident.
“He said, ‘I just gotta get home,’ and I told him, the guy’s over here lying on the ground, we can’t really let you by,” witness Colby Jackson told local ABC affiliate WMUR. “He kept reaching for a pistol in his pocket, and from there we all told him to stop, you don’t want to do this.”
Chadbourne reportedly proceeded to drive over a lawn — nearly hitting a wall — in order to get around the crash site. Google Maps shows that Webster Street runs right through the center of Hudson, New Hampshire, which has a population of about 25,000 people.
At one point while trying to get away, Chadbourne allegedly pulled the gun out into the open air, authorities said.
“The subject was unhappy that the traffic had come to a stop and needed to get to the residence down the street, and because of that, he pulled a firearm,” Hudson police Captain Patrick Broderick told the local outlet.
Witnesses are said to have given officers — who had since arrived — a description of Chadbourne and his vehicle after he had driven off. Law enforcement then saw the Chevy truck parked at a home on the same street. A “high-risk motor vehicle stop” was conducted, and Chadbourne was arrested.
According to Hudson police, the suspect had a gun in his pocket at the time of his arrest.
