Mayor arrested for attempted murder in Halloween road rage incident: Police

The mayor of a small town in Oregon has been arrested for attempted murder following a road rage incident on Halloween that led to him firing multiple gunshots at a family of four, police said.

The incident occurred at approximately 8:43 p.m. on Halloween night when a family of four -- two adults and two children, ages 5 and 8 -- were traveling south on Highway 281, about 65 miles east of Portland, Oregon, when they encountered an SUV that was driving erratically, according to a statement from the Hood River County Sheriff's Office.

The SUV suddenly pulled over to the side of the highway, which caused the driver of the family vehicle to become concerned and slow down in order to get a description of the erratic driver and his vehicle to report it to the police, the sheriff's office said.

"As the family passed the suspect vehicle, a male subject stepped out of the passenger side and fired multiple rounds from a handgun at the passing family," the Hood River County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. "The gunfire caused damage to the family's vehicle."

No one in the vehicle was injured, police said.

It took less than 24 hours for investigators to identify the suspect as Dowen Jones, the mayor of nearby Rufus, Oregon -- approximately 110 miles east of Portland -- with a population estimated to be around 270 people.

"He was arrested and later lodged at Northern Oregon Regional Corrections (NORCOR), in The Dalles on one count of Attempted Murder and four counts of Attempted Assault in the First Degree," said the Hood River County Sheriff's Office.

The motive behind the alleged attack is unclear and the investigation is ongoing.