Would-be vigilante shoots at van he thought was involved in an Amber Alert, it was the wrong vehicle

A Missouri man was arrested early Tuesday morning after he rammed a vehicle on an Interstate 80 off ramp in Altoona and fired two shots from a handgun.

Matthew Golden, 41, of Kearney, Missouri, told police he thought the vehicle was part of an Amber Alert for two missing children from Toronto, Iowa.

It wasn't.

According to police, Golden called 911 at 2:52 a.m. after he spotted the white panel van with Florida plates traveling east on I-80.

The Amber Alert, issued at 1:18 a.m. Tuesday morning, advised the public to be on the lookout for a silver 2006 Hyundai Sonata with Illinois plates.

When the van exited the interstate at Hubbell Avenue, Golden followed and rammed his Toyota Sequoia into the back of the van, according to law enforcement reports.

Golden got out and shouted commands at the van's driver, according to Altoona Police Chief Greg Stallman.

Dispatchers told Golden to stop, but to no avail, Stallman said.

After retrieving a handgun from his SUV, Golden fired two shots at the driver's side of the van, according to a criminal complaint.

The van's driver called 911 during the incident.

"I would credit the communication center because, according to the victim, the dispatcher told them to get down," Stallman said.

The van's driver, a Florida man who was traveling to Illinois, was unharmed. He was the only person in the vehicle.

When law enforcement officers arrived, they found Golden stripped to his underwear lying face down on the exit ramp, Stallman said. Police found a second handgun in his SUV.

Police did not have to use physical force to take Golden into custody, Stallman said.

The police chief said Golden identified himself to officers and didn't appear to be intoxicated. But police found a plastic container with almost 16 grams of marijuana in his SUV, according to the criminal complaint.

Golden said the guns were both his, but it's unclear if he has a legal permit to carry the weapons. Law enforcement have contacted Missouri authorities to figure that out, Stallman said.

Even if he has a permit, Stallman said, "there's no justification for what he did."

"It's no different than what we tell police officers who aren't working: Your eyes are our best resources, not your actions," he said. "If you see something, say something. But we don't necessarily want you to act on it."

Golden was charged with assault with intent to inflict serious injury, two counts of intimidation with a dangerous weapon and possession of marijuana. He's being held at the Polk County Jail on a $23,000 cash or surety bond.

His Iowa court record shows Golden is no stranger to Iowa. He's received traffic citations in Iowa dating back to the 1990s, but he has not been charged for any other violent crimes.

Police in Kearney, Missouri, were not immediately available to comment on his history there.