Police: Man shoots at woman’s car on Beltway exit

WASHINGTON — State troopers in Maryland are looking for a man who fired a shot at a woman’s vehicle as she attempted to merge onto the Capital Beltway in Prince George’s County.

The incident happened in the Lanham region at around 12:15 a.m. Friday.

The victim, a 21-year-old Virginia resident, told state troopers that she was driving west on U.S. Route 50 and was trying to merge onto the Outer Loop. But a blue minivan on the exit ramp tried to prevent her from entering the lane.

Instead, the van driver sped up and slowed down to block her from getting through — then he pointed a handgun toward the passenger side of her car and fired a shot, the woman told state police.

State troopers said the gunshot shot appeared to have left a dent on her passenger side door.

The woman was able to maneuver away from the van. She was able to get onto Interstate 495, where she exited at Maryland Route 450 and called 911, according to state police.

State troopers described the shooter as an African American male with short dreadlocks who was wearing a white T-shirt. He was last seen driving a blue minivan west on Maryland Route 50.

Further details were unavailable from state police.

Troopers have asked anyone with information about the shooting to call Maryland State Police’s College Park Barrack at 301-345-3101.

The shooting was the second road-rage incident on the Beltway in as many days. On Thursday, a motorist said another driver used a weapon to break out his passenger-side window near Braddock Road during a road rage incident. The man said his 5-month-old daughter was in the back seat at the time but wasn’t injured.

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