Whatever happened between two drivers on Interstate 77, both ended up facing charges after a Saturday morning encounter that left two passengers in a hospital.
The Aug. 22 incident was reported around 8:50 a.m. on northbound I-77 near mile marker 3 in Carroll County, Virginia. Two sisters, ages 12 and 20, were riding in a Jeep.
Each sister had been shot in the leg, according to VSP’s initial account. Both were flown to a North Carolina hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
The vehicle involved in the shooting left the area. That account says a brief pursuit followed before law enforcement stopped it near Exit 19 and took an adult male into custody.
Both Drivers
The man in custody was identified as 61-year-old Richard Thomas Arriviello of Charlotte, North Carolina, in VSP’s later charging update, which said he had been driving a Mercedes-Benz.
The Jeep’s driver was also charged with reckless driving. The update did not identify that driver or describe the conduct behind the charge, and the available public accounts do not explain what happened between the vehicles immediately before the shooting.
There is a much cheaper procedure for dealing with an aggressive driver. The state Department of Motor Vehicles advises interstate motorists to pull off safely or have a passenger dial #77, then provide the vehicle description, plate number, location, and direction of travel.
Someone being tailgated should let the aggressive driver pass. A motorist who is being followed should not drive home and should instead contact law enforcement or drive to a police station.
Steering clear, avoiding challenges, and resisting the temptation to teach another driver “a lesson” are also part of VSP’s road-rage guidance. Anyone confronted or provoked should call 911 or head to a public place.
The Bill
Five felony charge entries now appear in New River Valley Regional Jail records for Arriviello, who was committed from Carroll County on Aug. 22 with no bond permitted.
They include discharging a firearm from a motor vehicle, maliciously shooting at an occupied vehicle, two aggravated malicious wounding counts, and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.
Under § 18.2-51.2, aggravated malicious wounding is a Class 2 felony. A Class 2 felony conviction carries a sentence of 20 years to life.
A first conviction under § 18.2-53.1 carries a mandatory minimum three-year term that must run consecutively to punishment for the underlying felony.
Four related cases in Carroll General District Court are scheduled for a Sept. 29 hearing. Another aggravated malicious wounding case appears in Carroll County Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court with an Aug. 31 hearing.
The online court system currently lists Arriviello as being in custody.
Arriviello is also listed by the Virginia Board of Medicine as an osteopathic physician with an active medical license and a self-designated practice area of emergency medicine.
The cases remain pending. Arriviello is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.