A Ludington man has been charged after firing a gun in a road rage incident Saturday.

Two road rage incidents ended in gun play on the Mackinac Bridge Saturday after heavy traffic, caused by a fatal accident, increased tensions.

65 year old William Pirkola of Ludington was arraigned in Mackinac County Monday morning on charges on reckless discharge of a firearm. He was released on bond after spending the weekend in jail.

Pirkola fired his 9mm pistol into the air after getting into an altercation with an unidentified Williamsburg man Saturday on the Mackinac Bridge.

Pirkola stated the other man cut him off repeatedly in heavy traffic following an earlier crash on the bridge. Pirkola eventually bumped the other man's vehicle, and when the Williamsburg man got out to confront Pirkola, he fired his gun. A 9mm pistol and a .40 caliber handgun were seized from Pirkola.

In another incident later Saturday evening, a North Carolina man was arrested after brandishing a weapon on the bridge and pointing it at several motorcyclist following a brief altercation.

The man attempted to flee south to Mackinaw City, but authorities caught up with him just south of the bridge. Police have not released the man's name or the charges he is currently facing.

The heavy traffic on the bridge was caused by a fatal accident early Saturday that claimed the life of a 78 year old Cheboygan man. The head on collision and the subsequent investigation closed several lanes on the bridge, causing massive backups, flaring tempers in the long lines.

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