Driver accused of threat with rifle

Ziad Abdul and two friends were planning their night's entertainment when a minor traffic dispute ended in a fearful confrontation with a South Boston man who allegedly pointed a rifle at them and pulled the trigger, said Abdul and Boston police.

''It was scary," Abdul said of the moment when John S. Donoghue Jr. allegedly pointed the .50-caliber rifle at him and two others, Abdul's cousin and a longtime friend. ''He pointed a gun at us. . . . Then he pulled the trigger. Once."

Donoghue allegedly pointed the weapon at the three men about 8 p.m. on Friday as their disagreement over driving decisions, which began on Day Boulevard in South Boston, ended in the Harbor Point apartment complex where Abdul and his friends live, Abdul and Boston police said.

Abdul and his friends notified Harbor Point police about the armed confrontation, and other police agencies tracked Donoghue to his home, according to a Boston police report filed in court. There, Donoghue allegedly admitted to having had a rifle with him in his truck and directed police to his gun safe, where they recovered a total of 10 rifles and handguns.

''I messed up," Donoghue is quoted in a police report as having said. ''I thought just words would be exchanged, and I would leave."

Donoghue was arraigned yesterday in Dorchester Municipal Court, where he pleaded not guilty to a single count of assault with a dangerous weapon. He was released on $2,500 cash bail, and Judge Sydney Hanlon ordered him not to have contact with his alleged victims.

Donoghue's lawyer, Michael Doolin, said in a telephone interview yesterday that his client had the rifle in his pickup truck, but never pulled it out, never pointed it anyone, and never pulled the trigger.

''He's a lifelong resident of Boston, works a good job, comes from a good family, and just didn't do the crime with which he is charged," said Doolin.

Doolin also said Donoghue, who court records show works as a carpenter, had a valid permit for the rifle and for the two other rifles and seven handguns police later seized from his home on L Street. ''He's a legitimate guy," said Doolin.

Police said in a press release that Donoghue's gun permit would be reviewed by the department and could be revoked. Police said they will retain the handguns and rifles if Donoghue's permit is terminated.

Abdul said just before the rifle was shown, Donoghue told him he wanted to fight the driver, whom Abdul identified as his cousin, Syar Salih. Abdul said he told Donoghue that he had to fight all three of them because they were united. Abdul and court records identify the third person as Guhdar Ahmad, a friend.

According to the police report and Abdul, Donoghue allegedly shouted profanities and racially tinged insults at the three men, all of whom are 24 years old. Donoghue allegedly urged them to go back to ''their own country."

Abdul said he and the two others are Kurds who emigrated with their families from the Kurdish-controlled area in northern Iraq in 1996. He said he is in the process of becoming a naturalized citizen.

David Procopio, spokesman for Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley, said prosecutors will investigate whether Donoghue should also be prosecuted for civil rights violations for allegedly using racial slurs against the men.

Doolin said Donoghue did not use racial epithets. ''That absolutely didn't happen," Doolin said.

Abdul said they were planning to go out Friday night, but never did after their encounter with Donoghue. ''The guy ruined it. The feeling was messed up," said Abdul.

John Ellement can be reached at ellement@globe.com.