A Lakes of the Four Seasons man faces a felony charge after a California semi driver alleged he pulled a gun in a road rage confrontation on Interstate 65 near Hebron, court records show.
Joshua Rowinski, 41, was charged Tuesday with Level 6 felony pointing a firearm. He posted a $1,000 cash bond.
In court documents, Rowinski denied to cops that he pointed the gun directly at the semi driver. The situation got heated and he said he flashed the weapon to “protect himself.”
An Indiana State Trooper responded to southbound I-65 at the 236-mile marker, which was bogged down with heavy traffic, just after 7 p.m. on May 20.
He told the semi driver to pull off the 2019 Freightliner to a gas station at the nearest exit. Rowinski was stopped farther south near Remington in Jasper County. He told the cop he had a loaded FN Herstal Belgium handgun in the center console.
Rowinski told cops he was driving in the left lane, when the semi signaled, then “ran him off the road,” according to the affidavit. He said he had to speed on the shoulder to get past the semi, just as traffic slowed to a halt. By that time, the semi was back in the right lane, and the driver was screaming at him, court records state.
He yelled back, then pulled out the gun, pointed down with no “ill intentions.”
The semi driver, 35, said he moved into the left lane, when Rowinski’s grey Honda sped past him, then brake-checked him a few times. He admitted yelling at him, before Rowinski racked the chamber and pointed the weapon at him, he alleged in court documents.
During the argument, the semi driver called police.