Road Rage Gunfire On I-87 Leads To Attempted Murder Charges Against Westchester Driver: NYSP

YONKERS, NY — Aggressive driving on a Westchester highway escalated into gun violence, according to police.

On Sunday, members of State Police Troop T, SP Tarrytown, and the Troop K Bureau of Criminal Investigation arrested 28-year-old Elmy Manuel Sandoval-Firpo, of Yonkers, on felony charges stemming from a road rage incident that resulted in gunfire on the New York State Thruway in Yonkers.

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Investigators said that the incident began shortly before 4:30 p.m. when Sandoval-Firpo, driving a 2009 Ford van, cut off the victim, a 25-year-old man from the Bronx in a 2010 Subaru Impreza, to turn into a gas station on Tuckahoe Road, in Yonkers.

An argument between the two then took place in the gas station parking lot, with Sandoval-Firpo smashing the rear windshield of the victim's Subaru. Both drivers then drove away.

Video surveillance later captured Sandoval-Firpo driving in the center lane of the southbound Thruway, near the Cross County Parkway, before moving into the left lane, cutting off the victim, resulting in a collision, according to NYSP. Sandoval-Firpo then exited his vehicle and fired at the victim's vehicle, troopers said.

Both vehicles fled the scene.

The victim drove to a nearby location and was interviewed by troopers. Sandoval-Firpo's vehicle was later located by the Yonkers Police Department, which attempted to pull him over. Instead, Sandoval-Firpo struck a marked Yonkers Police Department patrol car while trying to get away. A pursuit was initiated and Sandoval-Firpo ultimately came to a stop on the southbound Thruway, in Yonkers, after his vehicle got a flat tire from an unknown cause.

YPD and state police took Sandoval-Firpo into custody. Amazingly, no injuries were reported.

Sandoval-Firpo was taken to SP Tarrytown for processing and was charged with attempted murder, attempted assault, reckless endangerment, criminal possession of a weapon, second-degree loaded firearm, third-degree criminal possession of a weapon (previous conviction), and second-degree criminal possession of a firearm (menacing). He was also given a number of traffic violations.

Sandoval-Firpo was arraigned in the City of Yonkers Justice Court and remanded to the Westchester County Jail in lieu of $20,000 cash, or $50,000 bond or $75,000 10 percent partially secured bond. He is scheduled to reappear in the City of Yonkers Justice Court on September 18, at 11 a.m. for a felony hearing. An Order of Protection was issued for the victim.

The Westchester County Real Time Crime Unit assisted in the investigation and was instrumental in helping to locate and identify the suspect vehicle, according to NYSP.