Perryville, MD - Shortly after 4:30 p.m. December 24, 2015, the JFK Memorial Highway Barracks received a 9-1-1 call from a female motorist traveling with her two young children and her mother, northbound on Interstate 95 in the area of Rt. 22 in Harford County.
The driver said she was involved in a road rage incident with another vehicle. The driver described the suspect vehicle as a late model burgundy four door passenger vehicle with partial registration “PSP,” and described the driver and his female passenger. The caller said when she pulled up alongside the vehicle, the driver pointed a silver or gray color handgun at her. She said she ducked down and slowed, then dialed 9-1-1.
A broadcast of the vehicle was dispatched and while Tfc Rumaker was traveling northbound on I-95 south of Rt. 222 in Cecil County, he observed a vehicle matching the description. The vehicle was a burgundy Toyota Avalon, displaying Georgia registration. A traffic stop was initiated on the vehicle north of Rt. 222 and the driver was identified by his Georgia driver’s license as Ashanti A. S. Smalls. An adult female was in the passenger’s seat and in the back seat of the vehicle, in a child safety seat, was a 14-month-old female.
During a search of the immediate area of the driver and front passenger seat, a black metal handgun ammo magazine containing ten .40 caliber full metal jacket ammo rounds was located in the vehicle’s center console. Located in the vehicle’s glove box were a gray / pink colored hand gun that was not holstered and a black neoprene holster. The handgun was a Taurus .40 caliber containing a ten round ammo magazine that was fully loaded with hollow point ammo, with a round in the chamber.
Members of North East Barrack, North East Police, Cecil County Sheriff Office, and Perryville Police Department assisted. The Maryland Gun Center was contacted and revealed Smalls did not possess a gun carry permit in Maryland. An NCIC check revealed Smalls was prohibited from possessing regulated firearms due to felony convictions in Georgia. Smalls was placed under arrest and transported to the JFK Highway Barracks for processing and charging. He will be taken to the Cecil County Detention Center central booking center for an initial appearance later tonight. His female passenger was not charged.
Investigation Trooper: Tfc Rumaker JFK Highway Barrack 410-537-1150Type of Incident: Gun Arrest After I-95 Road Rage Incident
Date and Time: December 24, 2015 / 4:50 PM
Location: Northbound I-95 near Rt. 222, Perryville, MD
Accused: Ashanti A. S. Smalls, 33, of Atlanta, Georgia
Charges: 1st degree assault, reckless endangerment, illegal possession of ammunition, possession of a firearm, firearms use/felon-violent crime, illegal possession of a regulated firearm, possession of a firearm with a felony conviction, handgun in a vehicle>
