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Three Family Members Arrested In Connection To Fairfield County Road-Rage Incident

Three Fairfield County residents have been arrested in connection with a road-rage incident in which a man later died.

Emanuel Matias

Emanuel Matias

Photo Credit: Stamford Police Department

Emanuel Matias, age 25, of Stamford, was arrested for manslaughter Wednesday, Dec. 8, said Lt.  Tom Scanlon, of the Stamford Police. 

Matias, who has been in custody since the Wednesday, Nov. 17 incident, when he was charged with assault on the 71-year-old Michael Frank Gentile, of Stamford, when he allegedly attempted to run them off Cold Spring Road.

Gentile died two days later, from what medical officials said was blunt force trauma.

During the incident, the two vehicles collied which led to the confrontation in which Matias allegedly punches Gentile once in the face causing him to fall and hit his head, court documents said.

During Wednesday's hearing, Matias' brother and sister, Alejandro Ovalles and Samantha Ovalles, who were in the car at the time of the crash, were arrested and charged with breach of peace. Alejandro Ovalles was also charged with criminal attempt of criminal mischief, Scanlon said.

Court documents said the group told responding officers that Gentile cut them off and damaged their car's front bumper.

All three got out of their car and began yelling at Gentile to get out of his vehicle, court documents shows.

Video footage obtained by police also shows Matias punching and pulling at Gentile’s car door prior to the fatal attack.

Matias told officers that Gentile was reaching for something in the vehicle and he hit him in self-defense.

The documents said that just before being struck, Gentile is standing in between both vehicles with his arms down to his side.

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