Richard Arriviello Arrested After I-77 Road-Rage Shooting Injures 2 in Virginia

Q: Why was the driver of the victims' vehicle also charged in the violent interstate clash?

The Jeep’s driver was charged because investigators say that person was not treated solely as a victim in the encounter. Virginia State Police said the driver was cited for reckless driving, indicating troopers believed the driver’s own conduct on I-77 violated traffic law during the road-rage episode. The public information released so far does not say the Jeep driver fired a weapon or caused the gunshots. The shooting allegations are directed at Richard T. Ariviello, who faces the felony charges tied to firing from the Mercedes-Benz and injuring the two sisters. But police have repeatedly described the case as a road-rage incident between the two vehicles, and the reckless-driving charge suggests investigators found evidence that the Jeep driver was driving dangerously as the confrontation unfolded. That can include speeding, aggressive lane changes, following too closely, or other conduct that creates a hazard, though troopers have not publicly specified the exact behavior. So the reason the victims’ driver was also charged is narrower than the shooting case: authorities appear to believe the driver separately committed a traffic offense during the same interstate clash, even though the passengers in that vehicle were the ones struck by gunfire. The investigation remains ongoing, and police may provide more detail later.

3 articles · Updated · WSLS 10 · Aug 23

Virginia State Police arrested 61-year-old Richard Arriviello after a Saturday morning shooting on I-77 northbound in Carroll County left a 12-year-old girl and a 20-year-old woman injured.
Police said the gunfire followed a road-rage confrontation between a Jeep and a Mercedes-Benz near the three-mile marker around 8:50 a.m., and the Mercedes later was stopped at Exit 19.
Arriviello, of Charlotte, North Carolina, was charged with malicious shooting into an occupied vehicle, shooting from a vehicle, maliciously causing bodily harm with intent to maim, and using a firearm while committing a felony.
Both Jeep passengers suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were taken to a hospital, while the Jeep's driver was also charged with reckless driving.
The case remains under investigation by Virginia State Police, with Arriviello being held at the New River Valley Regional Jail.