Man Arrested After Alleged Road Rage Shooting in Montana

A semi-truck driver is facing felony charges after investigators say he fired a handgun at another driver during a dangerous road rage incident on U.S. Highway 191 near West Yellowstone.

According to charging documents, the incident happened the morning of March 6 near mile marker 5 in Gallatin County.

Dispatchers received an emergency call from a driver who reported being forced off the road by a semi truck attempting to pass in a no-passing zone near the intersection of Highway 191 and Highway 287. The driver told authorities he had to leave the roadway to avoid a head-on collision.

After getting back on the road, the victim followed the semi while contacting dispatch and describing the truck and trailer. While both vehicles were traveling northbound on Highway 191, the driver told investigators the semi operator stuck a handgun out of the driver’s side window and fired a single shot toward his vehicle.

Deputies later stopped the truck near Highway 191 and Windy Pass Trail and identified the driver as Jeremiah Thompson.

Court records say Thompson admitted he attempted to pass another vehicle in a no-passing zone, forcing a vehicle off the roadway. He also told investigators that the vehicle later began following him and slowing down in front of his truck.

Investigators say Thompson admitted to firing one round from a 9mm handgun toward the other vehicle. A witness driving another semi also reported seeing Thompson run a vehicle off the road during the passing attempt. Authorities later recovered a spent shell casing from the roadway and a handgun inside the truck.

Thompson was arrested and booked into the Gallatin County Detention Center on charges including criminal endangerment and assault with a weapon.