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Woman accused of pointing fake gun at motorists to get through traffic

Posted at 11:55 AM, Aug 10, 2017
and last updated 2017-08-10 11:55:48-04

La Porte police say a woman is accused of pointing what looked like a handgun at another driver.

Amanda Downs was driving down the highway and started swerving at a family in another car in an apparent road rage incident.

"I wake up to some guy basically knocking us off the road. He throws me the phone and says recording. She comes past with her hand out that window. Holding the guy," eyewitness Jacob McNeil said.

Detectives say that thanks to McNeil's quick thinking, they caught Downs and charged her with aggravated assault.

She reportedly confessed to the incident and another in July. She says it wasn't a gun, but a novelty knife shaped to look like a firearm.

"The minute you see her holding that weapon what are you thinking? That's a gun and we need to get out of the line where she was firing," McNeil said.

Police say if you ever find yourself staring at something like that, do not engage.

"They told us that whenever they interviewed her that was the way she got through traffic," he said.

Downs was already on deferred adjudication for a theft charge from 2016.