Frederick, MD – A 30-year-old Pennsylvania man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison, with all but five years suspended, for a road rage incident that took place last year in Frederick County.
On Tuesday, a judge in Frederick County Circuit Court ordered that Bryant Allen Paradine, of Littlestown, PA, serve five years without parole after pleading guilty to first-degree assault and using a firearm in a violent crime. Following his prison term, he will be on three years of supervised probation, which includes anger management classes. He is also permanently prohibited from owning a firearm.
The incident occurred on August 14 around 7:30 AM, when a motorist reported to Maryland State Police that their vehicle was shot at by a driver in an SUV with Pennsylvania license plates along southbound Route 15 near Tippen Drive. Troopers later located the SUV and identified Paradine as the driver, who admitted to being involved in the road rage altercation.
During sentencing, the victim, who supported the court’s decision, stated:
“He was tailgating me, cut me off, brake-checked me, pulled out a gun, and pulled the trigger. Why did he think he had the right to decide if my family would never see me again and make my wife a widow?”
State’s Attorney Charlie Smith emphasized the seriousness of road rage incidents, stating:
“Road rage poses a real danger to our community. While many offenders are first-time violators, the public safety risk is too high to ignore. If you jeopardize someone’s life, the consequences will be life-altering.”
