By VDC staff
A Shelburne man has been charged with aggravated assault and maiming after police say he brutally attacked another driver during a road rage incident in Winooski earlier this week, leaving the victim facing the likely loss of at least one eye.
Aaron A. Williams, 44, of Lark Hill Road in Shelburne, was arraigned Thursday, August 28, in Chittenden Superior Court on charges of aggravated assault and maiming, according to court records. If convicted, Williams faces up to 15 years in prison for the assault charge and the possibility of life in prison for maiming.
Police allege the attack occurred Tuesday night, August 26, following a brief road rage dispute at the intersection of Mallett’s Bay Avenue and Pine Street in Winooski. According to affidavits filed by Detective Corporal Stephen Bova of the Winooski Police Department, multiple 911 calls reported a crash and a violent altercation between two motorists around 8:30 p.m.
Officers arriving on scene found 46-year-old Ronnie Bushway II of Colchester sitting on a curb, bleeding heavily from his face and eyes. Witnesses told police they saw a man exit his vehicle after a minor collision, strike Bushway, and then flee in a black Volkswagen Jetta.
Bushway told police the other driver tailgated him through Winooski before passing and “brake checking” him. Both men stopped their cars, and Bushway said he confronted the other driver, who walked over, punched him in the face, and then drove his thumbs into Bushway’s eyes. Bushway told officers the pain was “a ten out of ten” before losing his vision.
He was rushed to the University of Vermont Medical Center, where doctors performed emergency surgeries. According to police, surgeons believe Bushway’s left eye will need to be removed, and his right eye may only regain minimal vision.
Investigators obtained dash camera footage from Bushway’s vehicle showing the altercation, as well as cell phone video from a bystander. The recordings, combined with a license plate captured on camera, led police to identify Williams as the suspect.
Police arrested Williams without incident Wednesday morning, August 27, at his workplace, The Bern Gallery in Burlington.
Deputy State’s Attorney Eliza Novick-Smith is prosecuting the case. Victim advocate Nietra Panagoulis has been assigned to support Bushway and his family.
Williams remains in custody pending court proceedings.
