Man allegedly pulls gun, yells racial slur in Gates road rage

A 38-year-old Gates man allegedly brandished a loaded 9mm handgun and yelled racial epithets at another driver in a Home Depot parking lot Sunday afternoon in a fit of road rage, according to Gates police.

Jeffrey Peters was charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and second-degree criminal use of a weapon, both felonies, and second-degree menacing and second-degree aggravated harassment, which could constitute a hate crime, according to police. The latter two charges are misdemeanors.

He was arraigned in Gates Town Court on Sunday night and ordered to be held in Monroe County Jail on $22,000 cash bail or $40,000 bond.

Sgt. Silvio Palermo said Peters was driving his Dodge Dart behind a Toyota Camry on Buffalo Road around 4:15 p.m. when Peters believed the driver of the Camry "brake-jacked" him, meaning he slammed on his brakes to cause Peters harm.

Peters tailed the driver to the Home Depot at 2361 Buffalo Road and confronted him in the parking lot, Palermo said. The driver was a 43-year-old African-American man, Palermo said.

"The suspect followed the victim's vehicle into the Home Depot parking lot and that's where he pulled a legally registered handgun, made a racial slur and threatened to shoot him," Palermo said.

Palermo said the alleged incident ended when Peters lowered the gun and entered Home Depot.

"You can't make this stuff up," Palermo said.

Under New York penal law, a person commits a hate crime when he or she commits a "specified offense," which includes second-degree harassment, in whole or in substantial part because of the victim's race, color, national origin, ancestry, gender, religion, religious practice, age, disability or sexual orientation.

"Gates police will not tolerate crimes where a victim's 'race' becomes the focal point during the commission of the crime," read a Gates Police Department news release. "Hate crimes will not be tolerated."

DANDREATTA@Gannett.com

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