Offender sentenced after road rage fight

A man who had an assault rifle and a handgun in his car has been sentenced to 8 ½ years in federal prison after threatening another motorist during a road rage incident in downtown Spokane.

Eugene Anthony Brown, who had three felony convictions prior to this incident, on Monday was sentenced to serve 103 months by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Frem Nielsen.

Brown pleaded guilty last September to a federal charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

“This is a good lesson about what road rage will get you, especially if you’re a prior felon with a gun,” U.S. Attorney Jim McDevitt said Friday.

Brown, whom authorities said is a gang member, was arrested Oct. 17, 2005, by Spokane police Officer Michael Russo, who spotted a car matching the description of a vehicle involved in a road rage encounter a few hours earlier.

In that incident, a motorist told police he was threatened with a “shiny handgun” after he and a man later identified as Brown had an argument over aggressive driving at Washington and Riverside.