A Burlington Man Pleaded Not Guilty After Police Said He Pulled a Gun on an Uber Driver

What police say happened

South Burlington police said the driver reported that the man and a woman had apparently gotten into the wrong car around 10:30 p.m. on August 14. The driver told officers the man threatened his life.

“Police said they were called to a disturbance at the parking lot of Homeward Suites Hotel at 5 Dorset St. near Williston Road shortly before 11 p.m. Officers learned during the dispute a customer had brandished a handgun at the Uber driver, chief Shawn Burke said,” the paper reported. Police said the Uber driver reported that the gunman threatened to kill him and that he feared for his life, according to the paper.

NBC5 reported at the time that police said the customer “took off” and that officers “also recovered the firearm used in the incident.”

The search

The man ran, and a woman who had been with him was briefly taken into custody, police said, according to The Other Paper. The woman, Nicole Dashnow, 37, agreed to a search of her backpack, where police found a Smith & Wesson .38-caliber pistol, the paper reported. She was released as a witness.

The next day, the Uber driver told Det. Kevin Grealis that the gunman approached him near Mr. Mike’s Pizza on Main Street. “The victim said the gunman apologized and said the weapon belonged to his girlfriend, Grealis wrote in court papers,” the paper reported. “The Uber driver said he refused the apology and the gunman left, police reported.”

The arrest

A Burlington police officer spotted Peay near King Street on Friday, August 18, and another foot pursuit began, The Other Paper reported. “The King Street Youth Center was shut down briefly while the manhunt was underway,” the paper reported.

“Peay claimed the Uber driver had either a pocketknife or switchblade on him, police said,” according to the paper.

“Peay was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and is being held for lack of $10,000 bail,” NBC5 reported on August 21, 2023. The Other Paper reported that bail was reduced to $2,500 in court.

Sources

• The Other Paper (Vermont Community Newspaper Group), “Police arrest man who threatened Uber driver,” by Mike Donoghue, August 24, 2023
• NBC5 (WPTZ), South Burlington police search for suspect who allegedly threatened Uber driver with gun, August 16, 2023
• NBC5 (WPTZ), Burlington man arrested after threatening Uber driver with gun, August 21, 2023

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