The son of a local police chief is accused of pointing a loaded gun at two undercover police officers during an alleged fit of road rage.
Christopher Fitzgerald, 22, of Allentown, is charged with simple assault, reckless endangerment, reckless driving and careless driving. Fitzgerald is the son of Allentown Police Chief Joel Fitzgerald,
According to a police affidavit, two Whitehall Police officers who were undercover in an unmarked vehicle spotted Christopher Fitzgerald driving a white Nissan on MacArthur Road in Whitehall Township Friday.
The officers claim Fitzgerald was jamming on the brakes of his vehicle until he came to a complete stop in the middle of the road. As the detectives approached the vehicle, they claim Fitzgerald pointed a loaded Glock handgun at them. The detectives say they then placed their vehicle in reverse and drove backwards, believing they were about to be shot.
The detectives then contacted police radio and responding officers placed Fitzgerald into custody. According to police, Fitzgerald's handgun had 16 rounds in the magazine.
Fitzgerald was arraigned Friday night and released after his father posted his bail. According to the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office, Fitzgerald is a corrections officer at the Lehigh County Jail.
Chief Fitzgerald told the Morning Call his son was driving his girlfriend to work and had his 1-year-old son inside the vehicle at the time of the incident. The Chief also claimed it was “very difficult” for him to believe his son would do anything to harm a police officer and said he would withhold judgment until more details emerge.
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NBC10 spoke with Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski who called Fitzgerald's arrest a private matter.
"He has an adult son who has an issue outside the City of Allentown," Pawlowski said. "I have no comment and there's no official response from the city at this point because it has nothing to do with us."
Whitehall Township Police continue to investigate.
