Malone man arrested following drive-by shooting with BB gun, New York State Police say
A Malone man is behind bars after police said he used a BB gun in a drive-by shooting.
New York State Police said 24-year-old Ian LaRock has been charged with assault, menacing and criminal possession of a weapon, among other charges, for a Tuesday afternoon incident in Westville.
Investigators said LaRock was driving on State Route 37 in Westville when he fired several rounds from an imitation BB handgun at the victim's vehicle, as well as an unrelated vehicle, causing damage to both.
The vehicle that LaRock targeted was a U-Haul parked in the driveway of a home that is next to The Kitchen, Bath & Countertop Center. The owner of the showroom, Michael Roy, watched from inside as his customer's car window shattered, which he described to look like an explosion.
Roy also spoke with his neighbor who was driving the U-Haul when it was struck. He said his neighbor "was the most worked up one, obviously, because they got his windshield and he was looking at it as it came towards them. So he knew, I didn't, and he was upset."
No injuries were reported.
Security cameras outside of the showroom caught the shooting on video. In it, LaRock can be seen hanging outside the car window.
LaRock then sped away heading toward Fort Covington. Roy said it only took four minutes until law enforcement officers flew past his showroom to pursue LaRock.
LaRock was stopped and consequently arrested little more than 10 miles up the road by members of the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Police Department. He was arraigned in the town of Westville Court and remanded to the Franklin County Jail on a $10,000 bail or $20,000 bond.
Roy, a lifelong resident of Westville, described the feeling of being a witness to the shooting: "Kind of eerie. Kind of eerie that something I grew up in this town and used to be able to leave your keys in the car unlocked. You know, you can't do that anymore, unfortunately, the way of the world."
A New York State Police investigation is ongoing.