Solomon man arrested after allegedly firing gun in driving aggression incident on I-135

By SALINA POST

Saline County Sheriff's officers responded to a road rage incident Saturday afternoon after a suspect allegedly pulled out a gun and shot a Concordia couple.

According to Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan, on Saturday, September 21, around 1 p.m., a couple from Concordia was driving north on I-135 at the Schilling exit when a black pickup truck driven by 34-year-old Nicholas Osbourn of Solomon began to tailgate them.

“Osbourn tried to overtake the couple in the vehicle. They didn't notice him. They both came to the ramp together,” Soldan said. “Osbourn tried to overtake immediately after leaving the ramp, but there was another vehicle in the lane. So [Concordia couple] changed lanes and Osbourne thought they had cut him off.

Osbourn began to closely follow the couple. He then pulled over their vehicle, pulled out a .22-caliber revolver and fired the weapon several times from the rear window of his truck, the couple said in a statement.

According to Soldan, no bullets hit the victims' vehicle.

The couple, fearing for their safety, stopped at milepost 95. Osbourn also stopped, got out of his car, and walked toward the couple with the gun in his hand. In response, the couple parked their vehicle and drove back against the direction of I-135 to avoid a confrontation.

At this point, another couple traveling on the highway noticed them and stopped to help.

“Osbourn told the second couple he 'shot at some people' but wasn't sure if he hit them,” Soldan said.

Sheriff's deputies, including officers from the Salina Police Department, quickly arrived at the scene. Osbourn, who had returned to his car, was arrested without further incident. He is charged with two counts of aggravated assault, criminal discharge of a firearm on a public road, reckless driving and unauthorized entry onto the highway as a pedestrian.