Rhode Island man has several firearms seized after being accused of firing at multiple vehicles in Massachusetts road rage incident

A Rhode Island man is facing multiple charges and has had his firearms seized after a reported road rage incident that took place late last week.

According to Colonel Michael Winquist, Chief of the Cranston Police Department, on Friday at approximately 5:00 p.m., a road rage incident was reported to the Franklin Police Department. The complainant advised Franklin Police detectives he made an abrupt turn in front of a vehicle described as a dark-colored late-model Honda Accord. The driver of the Honda sped up behind the victim and fired multiple rounds from the driver’s side window striking his vehicle. A second vehicle passing by was also reportedly struck by gunfire from the suspect vehicle.

Franklin Police Detectives investigated the incident with the Bellingham Police Department and Massachusetts State Police. They identified the suspect vehicle, which was actively registered to 43-year-old Michael Sylvester of Cranston, RI. The day after the incident, Cranston Police Detectives checked the address and observed the suspect vehicle parked in the driveway. Franklin Police Detectives subsequently obtained an arrest warrant for Sylvester, charging him with Carrying a Loaded Firearm without a License, Possession of Ammunition without an FID Card, Discharging a Firearm within 500 feet of a Building (2 counts), Assault with a Dangerous Weapon (7 counts), Assault to Murder-Armed, and Malicious Destruction of Property over $1200 (3 counts). The arrest warrant was entered into the National Crime Information Center with full extradition authorized by the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office.

Cranston Police Detectives, in concert with Franklin Police Detectives, also obtained court- authorized search warrants to search Sylvester’s vehicle and home.

Early Monday morning, members of the Cranston Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Unit, Special Investigations Unit, Special Reaction Team, Canine Unit, Bureau of Criminal Identification Unit, and Franklin Police Detectives responded to Sylvester’s address and execute the search warrants. Sylvester was called out of the residence, to which he complied he surrendered without incident.

A search of the residence resulted in the seizure of three handguns, a shotgun, ammunition, and several marijuana plants. The suspect vehicle was towed from the scene and turned over to Franklin Police Detectives for processing. The weapons and ammunition seized from Sylvester’s residence are consistent with the ballistic evidence seized by the Franklin Police Department during their investigation.

Cranston Police Detectives will charge Sylvester with Fugitive from Justice, Large Capacity Feeding Device Prohibited (2 counts), and Cultivating of Marijuana. He will be arraigned by a Justice of the Peace and be formally arraigned in Third District Court Tuesday morning on the Cranston Police charges and faces possible extradition to Massachusetts.