Man accused of pulling shotgun on teens in wild road rage chase in Washington County, police say

A Washington County man pulled a shotgun on a pickup truck driven by teenagers before chasing them as they desperately tried to escape, investigators said. 

This encounter allegedly started because Kelly McClelland told police the teenagers were speeding past his home in Canton Township. Police say McClelland tried to get in front of the pickup truck to slow it down but was allegedly clipped on the wrist as it passed.

Instead of calling 911, investigators said McClelland jumped in his car, caught up with the teens at an intersection on Weirich Avenue and blocked the road.

"I think that the most alarming aspect of this case is that an individual that was not threatened immediately felt that he could take it upon himself and act in a vigilante style," Greene Washington Regional Police Department Chief William DeForte said. 

DeForte says the 49-year-old, who is also a former Canton Township volunteer firefighter, got out of his car to confront the teens. As they tried to back away, the chief said McClelland reached back into his vehicle, grabbed a shotgun and pointed it at the truck.

DeForte says the terrified teens threw the truck into reverse, crashed into a concrete wall and sped away. McClelland allegedly then got back into his car and chased them until both vehicles stopped in a nearby funeral home's parking lot, where officers quickly took him into custody.

"Using a gun in self-defense is a justifiable means of protecting yourself, but when you are no longer at risk or anyone around you of threat or death, you have no right to get in your vehicle and chase people down with a firearm," DeForte said. 

Police recovered a shotgun from the front seat of McClelland's vehicle when he was picked up. No shots were fired, but DeForte said the outcome could have been far different.

"It was fortuitous that no suspects, no victims or no bystanders were injured in this process," he said. 

Police say this investigation is still active and additional charges could still be filed.