Salem, Ore. — One man was arrested on Tuesday afternoon after a minor traffic collision led to gunfire and assault.
At approximately 4:40 p.m. on January 3, Salem Police officers responded to the intersection of Lancaster DR and Market ST NE on the report of a traffic crash. Officers learned the male driver of a crossover sedan used a firearm to shoot at a mid-size SUV he believed struck his vehicle. The man driving the SUV was pulling over to the side of the road when the driver of the sedan, identified as Samuel Bailey Caster-Winegeart, approached the SUV, and yelled a racial slur at the driver who is Black. Caster-Winegeart, who is White, then punched through the partially-open window of the SUV, striking the driver of the SUV in the face.
The 55-year-old driver of the SUV was not struck by the gunfire but transported to Salem Health for treatment of injuries related to the physical assault.
Officers lodged Caster-Winegeart, age 25, at the Marion County Jail on the following charges:
- Bias crime in the first degree
- Assault in the fourth degree
- Unlawful use of a weapon, firearm
- Menacing
- Reckless endangering
- Criminal mischief in the second degree
Caster-Winegeart is due to be arraigned today at the Marion County Circuit Court Annex at 2:30 p.m., and as such, all further inquiries concerning this investigation should be directed to the Marion County District Attorney’s Office.
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