Quincy man charged in I-93 road rage shooting, officials say

A Quincy man is facing a slew of charges after allegedly firing a gun at a vehicle on I-93 in an apparent road rage incident. 

Michael Bragel, 33, was arraigned in South Boston Municipal Court last Friday. He was charged with two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, two counts of assault to murder, two counts of assault and battery attempt with a firearm, illegal possession of ammunition, and carrying a firearm without a license. 

Bragel pleaded not guilty to all of the charges. A judge set bail at $3,000. If Bragel posts bail, he will be required to wear a GPS monitoring bracelet, to stay away from the victims, and to not possess any dangerous weapons. He is due back in court on Aug. 28. 

At about 5:21 p.m. on July 1, a woman called State Police to report the incident. She and her boyfriend, who was traveling in the car with her at the time of the shooting, went to the State Police’s South Boston barracks to give authorities the details. Both were “visibly upset,” according to Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office. The woman was about five months pregnant at the time. 

She told police that she was driving northbound on I-93 when she noticed a pickup truck being driven “aggressively” and weaving through traffic. It nearly collided with the woman’s vehicle, prompting her to honk her horn, officials said. 

Bragel was allegedly driving the truck. He abruptly stopped, exited the vehicle, and fired a gun at the woman’s car, according to authorities. Bragel then got back in his truck and “fled at a high rate of speed,” Hayden’s office said. 

State Police troopers examined the woman’s vehicle and found damage consistent with a “glancing impact” from a projectile inches below the front passenger door window. 

The man that was riding with the pregnant woman took a cellphone video of the suspect’s truck. Through the video, police identified an “Alltown Construction” decal on the rear window. Officials then discovered that a red Ford F-350 is registered to Alltown. A web search linked the business to a Quincy address, and police then identified Bragel as a resident of that address, according to Hayden’s office. 

Alltown did not respond to a request for comment Monday.

Police were given a description of the suspect, and Bragel was found to match that description. Each victim independently identified Bragel when presented with a photo array of people matching the description. 

“The conduct described here—firing a gun on one of the busiest roads in the state at one of the busiest times of the day—is extraordinarily reckless, endangering both of these victims and every other motorist in the area. I’m thankful that these two victims, despite finding themselves in a terrifying situation, had the composure to obtain video evidence that led directly to this defendant being identified and charged,” Hayden said in a statement.

Want to leave a comment?

Create an Account Or sign in to your account

To comment, please create a screen name in your profile

To comment, please verify your email address

Conversation

This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com