Road Rage Armed Participant Tried for Better Luck in Casino; Was Dragged to Reality by State Police

NEWARK, DEL.- Donald Lavender should have skipped the part of the evening where he got intertwined in road rage and just gone to the casino. But he didn’t, report the Delaware State Police who say that among the goodies in his bookbag in his car were a gun and drugs.

Delaware State Police report that they have arrested a Middletown man after he displayed a weapon during a road rage incident which occurred last night in Newark.

The incident occurred on Friday, May 8, 2015 at approximately 11:25 p.m., as a 21-year-old Wilmington, DE female was operating a vehicle on northbound DE Rt. 4 (Stanton-Christiana Road) in the area of Delaware Park Boulevard, Newark. A second vehicle, which was later found to be operated by Donald J. Lavender, 29, of Middletown, DE, then swerved into her lane cutting her off. The female operator, as well as a 28-year-old male from New Castle who was a passenger in her car, then became involved in a verbal altercation with Lavender.

During the altercation, Lavender produced a handgun and pointed it in the direction of the female and her passenger. Lavender subsequently drove his vehicle into the parking lot of Delaware Park Casino and then went inside as the victim contacted 9-1-1.  Donald Lavender was apprehended shortly thereafter by casino security officers and turned over to the Delaware State Police.

Troopers then escorted Lavender back to his vehicle where they located an H&R .22 caliber handgun inside of the car. Troopers were also able to locate a book bag which was found to contain approximately 67 grams of marijuana and assorted drug paraphernalia in the car.

Donald J. Lavender was then transported to Troop 6, Prices Corner, where he was arrested and charged with two counts of Aggravated Menacing, Possession of a Firearm during the Commission of a Felony, Possession of a Deadly Weapon by a Person Prohibited, Carrying a Concealed Deadly Weapon, Possession of Marijuana, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. He was arraigned at Justice of the Peace Court 11 and then committed to the Howard Young Correctional Institution for lack of $77,600.00 secured bail.