A 20-year-old Corpus Christi man was arrested Saturday night after police say he pointed a laser-equipped handgun at officers conducting traffic control on Highway 358.
Dylan Wayne Ponton faces charges of aggravated assault on a police officer with a deadly weapon, a first-degree felony, and unlawfully carrying a weapon, a Class A misdemeanor.
The incident began around 8:56 p.m. Saturday when Officer C. Morse was providing traffic control for a stalled vehicle on the eastbound side of Highway 358 near the Oso Bridge. Morse was wearing his full police uniform and had his patrol unit's emergency lights activated when he observed a green laser beam pointed in his direction from a white Dodge Dakota pickup truck.
"I was placed in fear for my life and safety that the driver or occupant of the vehicle I observed shine a laser at me, could also be aiming a weapon at me," Morse said in his report.
The officer contacted Senior Officer R. Strickland, who intercepted the vehicle near the 4400 block of Highway 358 Freeway westbound. During the traffic stop, Strickland discovered multiple firearms in the vehicle, including a black Glock Model 23 .40 caliber handgun equipped with a flashlight and green laser combination.
Ponton initially told officers the handgun never left the glove box, but later admitted he was "playing with" the weapon and showing the laser to his passenger, 19-year-old James Albert Ragan.
Ragan confirmed to police that Ponton was waving the handgun around and pointed it out the window at officers.
"This further confirmed Patrol Officer Morse's story of the green laser, attached to the front of the black Glock handgun, being pointed at him," Strickland wrote in his report.
Officers also discovered Ponton had removed the magazine from the handgun and placed it in the center console when he saw police lights behind him, apparently attempting to conceal evidence of the crime.
During an inventory of the impounded vehicle, police found two additional Glock magazines in the center console and an open can of Coors Light beer behind the driver's seat. Ponton admitted to drinking but was determined not to be intoxicated.
Police records show Ponton has a history of weapons-related arrests, including previous charges for unlawfully carrying a weapon, resisting arrest and making terroristic threats against a peace officer.
Ponton was transported to the City Magistrate and Detention Center for booking.
He was transferred to the Nueces County Jail where his bond was set at $95,000.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Ponton was still in jail.
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