NORWOOD, Ohio — A man holding a loaded rifle was arrested early Sunday morning on I-71 North near the Norwood Lateral, according to a release from the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office.
At approximately 5:00 a.m., deputies responded to reports of a man with a rifle standing outside his vehicle in the northbound lanes of I-71 near the 9.4 mile marker. At the scene, deputies arrested Aaron Phelan, 18, and found his rifle at the scene.
Spent rifle casings were found on the highway, though no injuries have been reported, the sheriff's office said. They also said there is no indication that Phelan was targeting specific individuals or vehicles.
It is unknown whether drugs or alcohol were involved in the incident.
Phelan has been charged with aggravated menacing and discharging a firearm on a prohibited premises.
In court Monday morning, Phelan's defense attorney said he did not have any prior criminal history and called the incident "completely out of character" for Phelan. Phelan's attorney also said it could have happened as a result of "a situation of involuntary intoxication."
Prosecutors said Phelan fired four shots in total from an AR-15 rifle. When police found him, Phelan was lying underneath his vehicle, according to the prosecution.
When police questioned him, Phelan allegedly told them he'd been trying to shoot people who were trying to steal his car's engine, prosecutors said.
Judge Alan Triggs ordered he be held on a $200,000 bond.
