A 41-year-old Chanhassen man is facing three felony charges after a driver and two juveniles told Carver County deputies they feared being shot during a heated roadside encounter last week. Craig Allen Swanson was arrested at his home on September 17, accused of displaying a handgun during a confrontation near Lyman Boulevard and Audubon Road.
According to a complaint detailed by MN Crime, the driver told investigators a man in a red Ford F-150 had been tailgating him on Audubon Road and making obscene gestures before pulling alongside his vehicle as it prepared to turn left onto Lyman Boulevard. The driver said he saw the pickup driver display a gun, though he told deputies he did not see it pointed directly at his vehicle's occupants — he described the man holding it toward the truck's ceiling. One of the two juveniles in the vehicle gave a different account, reporting that the man pointed the gun directly at them. The driver said he feared for the occupants' safety and called 911.
Carver County Sheriff Jason Kamerud said deputies responded to a 911 weapons complaint reported at 3:40 p.m. on September 17 near the Chanhassen intersection, according to a statement reported by Bring Me The News. Investigators identified Swanson as the pickup's registered owner after he matched the description victims provided, and deputies took him into custody when he returned to his residence.
Firearms and Ammunition Recovered From Home and Truck
Deputies recovered a loaded Taurus .380-caliber handgun from a lunch pail inside Swanson's garage, according to the complaint cited by MN Crime. During a search connected to a warrant, deputies also found loaded magazines and ammunition strips tucked in the pickup's center console. Court records reviewed by the same outlet indicate investigators ultimately located two firearms tied to the case — one inside the truck and the second in the garage.
Swanson denied waving the firearm at anyone and told a deputy after his arrest that he had carried a firearm that day, but said it had been stored in a cooler rather than brandished at the other vehicle's occupants. The driver's and juvenile's accounts diverge on whether the weapon was pointed at the vehicle, and the case does not resolve which version investigators or prosecutors ultimately credited.
Bail Set at $10,000, October Court Date Ahead
Charges Filed in Carver County District Court The case was filed in Carver County District Court. Prosecutors charged him with three counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon.
Under Minnesota Statute Section 609.222, Subdivision 1, that charge carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison and a fine of up to $14,000 per count when no substantial bodily harm is inflicted, according to Sieben Cotter Law. State law defines a dangerous weapon under Minnesota Statute Section 609.02, Subdivision 6 to include any firearm, loaded or unloaded.
Road rage incidents involving displayed weapons aren't isolated statewide, either. A Ben Crump Law page reports that Minnesota State Patrol received more than 57,000 driving complaints and recorded 119 gun-pointing incidents in 2015. National research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that more than 78 percent of 3,000 licensed drivers reported aggressive driving at least once in the previous year, with male drivers under 39 most likely to report having driven aggressively.
