Man Charged With Attempted Murder In Suspected Road-Rage Shooting

Officials at the scene. Credit: Staci J. Bilk O’Brien

A Warrington Township man was nabbed after a suspected road-rage shooting that left a woman injured, according to Newtown Township and Middletown Township police.

Christopher Corbi, 41, was arrested Monday night after a multi-agency search, including municipal an state authorities, following the shooting.

Middletown Township police were dispatched around 6:19 p.m. to the 200 block of Swift Road in the Langhorne section of the township for a report of a shooting. The caller told dispatchers someone had shot at her car and she believed she had been struck in the wrist, authorities said.

Officers arrived to find the woman with a bleeding wrist, police said.

The woman’s vehicle had multiple bullet holes, including one through the windshield, police said.

The woman recounted to police that the initial shooting happened while she was traveling east on the Newtown Bypass between Summit Trace and Woodbourne Road. She, along with other drivers, moved to pass a car when she saw a flash come from the blue Honda Civic they were passing.

Moments later, she noticed what appeared to be a bullet hole in her passenger-side window, police said.

The woman slowed down to allow the Honda to pass her, aiming to get its license plate number and call 9-1-1, police said.

While on the phone with 9-1-1, the woman followed the Honda as it turned into the Swan Pointe development off Woodbourne Road, police said.

The woman told police the driver of the Honda abruptly slammed on the brakes, exited the car, and walked toward her vehicle while firing additional shots before driving off.

Dispatchers relayed the suspect vehicle’s information, and at 6:47 p.m., police from multiple agencies, including Newtown Borough, Newtown Township, Lower Makefield Township, and state police, located the Honda in the parking lot of the Village Market on Washington Crossing Road in Lower Makefield Township, according to authorities.

A Newtown Township police SUV. File photo.

Corbi, the driver, was taken into custody without incident, police said.

Corbi later admitted to investigators that he fired twice into the woman’s car on the Newtown Bypass. He also admitted to firing a single shot in Swan Pointe after he was followed, police said.

The defendant directed officers to a trash can outside the PetSmart in Newtown Township, where he said he dumped the gun, a revolver, in a grocery store bag.

Officers responded and recovered the weapon.

Corbi also told police he dumped a box of ammunition into a trash can outside the Newtown Farmer’s Market, police said.

Corbi was preliminarily arraigned early Tuesday morning before on-call District Judge John Galloway. He faces charges including attempted first degree murder, aggravated assault, propel missile into occupied vehicle, possession of instrument of crime, simple assault, reckless endangerment, and related offenses. He was held at the Bucks County Correctional Facility on 10 percent of $1 million bail.

Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.

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