Cops: Man arrested for pulling gun, assault in road-rage incident near TGI Fridays in Manhasset

A road rage incident ended in arrest Wednesday, when police said one driver "retrieved a firearm" from the trunk of his car and threatened the other driver, later following him into a restaurant and punching him "several times in the face" before fleeing the scene.

The incident took place near a TGI Fridays on Northern Boulevard in Manhasset just before 4:45 p.m., Nassau County police said.

Police said Antonio Condello, 48, of New Hyde Park, was involved in an altercation with a 39-year-old driver and said that during the ensuing verbal argument he stepped out of his vehicle and grabbed the gun from the trunk while yelling at the other driver and making that driver fear for his safety.

Police said that when the other driver went into the TGI Fridays, Condello followed him  and punched him several times in the face.

Condello was later arrested at his home, police said. During the investigation, Sixth Squad detectives recovered a gun from under the passenger-side floormat on his vehicle, police said.

Condello was charged with second-degree menacing, fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon and third-degree assault.

He faces arraignment Thursday in First District Court in Hempstead.

It was not immediately clear if Condello is represented by counsel.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”