Man arrested in ’20 road rage incident now faces theft charge
A Hot Springs man arrested last summer after allegedly shooting at another vehicle at a city intersection was arrested again Monday on a felony warrant after a rifle found in his possession was later determined to be stolen.
John Anthony Ray Putman, 27, who lists an Oaklawn Street address, was taken into custody shortly before 10:30 a.m. on the warrant for theft by receiving of a firearm, punishable by up to six years in prison. He was later released on a $2,500 bond and is set to appear April 15 in Garland County District Court.
Putman, who had listed no prior felony history, was first arrested on May 23 and initially charged with committing a terroristic act, punishable by up to life in prison, but the charge was later amended to unlawful discharge of a firearm from a vehicle, punishable by up to 20 years.
A search warrant was executed on Putman’s 2011 Chrysler
200 on May 26 in reference to the terroristic act charge and officers allegedly located a .22-caliber rifle in the back seat. It was later determined the rifle had been reported stolen on May 1,
2020, in a burglary. A warrant for Putman on the theft by receiving charge was issued on
March 11.
According to the probable cause affidavit on Putman’s original arrest, on May 23, shortly before 8 p.m., Officer 1st Class Taylor Gates responded to the intersection of Rector and Summer streets regarding a rolling disturbance between two vehicles.
The dispatcher told him the occupants of a black passenger car were shooting at a white passenger car near the intersection of Quapaw Avenue and Hawthorne Street and witnesses had followed the black car to the Rector Street area.
Officers located the black car, a 2011 Chrysler 200, parked across the street from the apartments at 824 Rector and multiple neighbors standing outside started pointing at Apartment C of the building and told officers the driver of the vehicle ran in there.
At that point, a man, identified as Putman, came out of the apartment and was detained without incident. Asked about the shooting incident, Putman reportedly stated he was “trying to protect his family” and fired a shot into the air.
Officers spoke to a female who was sitting in the front passenger seat of the Chrysler who stated Putman was involved in a “road rage” incident with a white car that ran a red light and Putman “fired a single shot” from the car with a handgun during the incident.
Putman reportedly gave officers consent to search his apartment and told officers he put the handgun behind the front door. Officers checked and located a Bersa 9-mm handgun with an extended barrel behind the door and confiscated it.
Officers later spoke to two witnesses who were reportedly behind the Chrysler on Ouachita Avenue westbound when they saw a white SUV pull out in front of it. They said the Chrysler started tailgating the SUV north onto Hawthorne.
As the SUV turned east onto Quapaw and the Chrysler turned west onto Quapaw, the witnesses noted the driver of the Chrysler suddenly fired a shot from a handgun through the passenger side window at the SUV.
The witnesses then followed the Chrysler to the apartments and called police, the affidavit states.
Putman was taken into custody and initially held on a
$100,000 bond. He pleaded not guilty on Aug. 18 and on Dec.
15 a bond hearing was held and his bond was reduced to $25,000 and he was released the next day. A hearing on the admissibility of any statements he made to police is set for April 20 in Garland County Circuit Court.