Road Rage Driver Faces 15 Charges In Lower Moreland Incident: Police

LOWER MORELAND, PA — A Philadelphia man is being charged with fleeing from Lower Moreland police officers when they attempted to stop him in connection with a road rage incident last month.

Rey Orlando Curbelo Rodriguez, 27, of the city's Mayfair neighborhood, was stopped by police on Oct. 21 after officers received a report of a road rage incident, according to Lower Moreland Police.

Callers had reported that the operator of the vehicle was driving erratically and following other vehicles too closely.

Officers ended up initiating a traffic stop of Curbelo Rodgriguez, who at first offered up a fictitious name, police said. He was then asked to pull his vehicle into a nearby parking lot due to safety concerns, and it was at this time that he took off.

Lower Moreland police officers initially lost sight of the vehicle but kept pursuing in Curbelo Rodriguez's general direction, when, about 30 seconds down the road, Curbelo Rodriguez crashed his vehicle, and subsequently fled the scene on foot, according to police.

The passenger of the vehicle waved down pursuing officers and cooperated with police to help identify Curbelo Rodriguez, police stated.

Lower Moreland police said a warrant was issued for Curbelo Rodriguez's arrest, and court records in the case show he is being charged with a whole host of criminal violations, including two third-degree felonies, four different misdemeanors and a number of summary citations.

According to a criminal docket sheet from Magisterial District Court, Curbelo Rodriguez faces charges including fleeing or attempting to elude officer (felony), endangering the welfare of children (felony), weapons offenses (misdemeanor), accident involving death or person injury (misdemeanor), recklessly endangering another person (misdemeanor), and receiving stolen property (misdemeanor).

There are an additional eight summary violations as well.

Court records show that a preliminary arraignment has been scheduled for Nov. 12 before Magisterial District Judge Jay Friedenberg.

A Lower Moreland police official said he believed the suspect is currently being held by another police agency, possibly Philadelphia, and that arraignment might take place Friday via video.

Patch reached out to Philadelphia Police and was told that he is currently in the city's prison in connection with crimes that were allegedly committed in that jurisdiction.

A criminal docket sheet from Philadelphia Municipal Court shows that Curbelo Rodriguez is facing various drug and firearm charges in the city, including carrying a firearm without a license.

The docket sheet shows that a preliminary hearing has been scheduled in Philadelphia for Friday before Municipal Court Judge Bradley K. Moss.