Arrest and Alleged Shooting
Virginia State Police arrested a 61-year-old Charlotte, North Carolina, doctor on Saturday, Aug. 22, after he allegedly fired into a Jeep during a road rage incident on Interstate 77, wounding two sisters, according to multiple reports.
Dr. Richard Thomas Arriviello, who authorities say owns a Charlotte-area urgent care practice, was driving north on I-77 in his Mercedes-Benz when gunfire erupted about three miles north of the Virginia-North Carolina state line, around 9 a.m., as reported by several news outlets.
State police said Arriviello fired into the moving Jeep, striking both sisters — a 20-year-old woman and a 12-year-old girl — in the legs. Both victims were airlifted to a hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening, according to Fox News.
The incident occurred in Carroll County, Virginia, in the Fancy Gap area near the state border, as reported by the Augusta Free Press.
Arrest and Charges
After the shooting, Arriviello fled in his Mercedes-Benz, but troopers spotted and stopped the vehicle about 15 miles north on I-77 and took him into custody, according to multiple reports.
He was taken to the New River Valley Regional Jail in Virginia, where he remains jailed without bond, as reported by Fox News. Arriviello faces several felony charges, including malicious shooting into an occupied vehicle, maliciously causing bodily harm with intent to maim, and use of a firearm while committing a felony, according to Fox News. Live 5 News WCSC and WEAU listed the charges as malicious shooting into an occupied vehicle, shooting from a vehicle, malicious wounding, and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.
Arriviello is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 29, according to Fox News.
State police have not said what led to the alleged road rage encounter or whether investigators recovered a firearm from Arriviello's Mercedes-Benz, Fox News reported.
The Jeep Driver
The driver of the Jeep was also cited for reckless driving, according to multiple reports. Authorities did not immediately identify the driver, and one outlet, the Augusta Free Press, described the driver as a woman, although that detail does not appear in other reports.
Background on Arriviello
Arriviello is the owner of Family Urgent Care in Monroe, North Carolina, as confirmed by multiple outlets, including WBTV, which was cited by several reports. Some reports describe the practice as being in Union County, North Carolina. Monroe is about 30 miles southeast of Charlotte, near the South Carolina border, and about a three-hour drive from Fancy Gap, according to the Augusta Free Press.
State medical records show Arriviello has been a licensed physician in North Carolina since 2010, and Fox News reported he is licensed as an emergency medicine physician with no public disciplinary actions listed against him.
Family Urgent Care in Monroe and Virginia State Police were contacted for comment, according to Fox News Digital, but no response was included in the reports.