Concealed-carrying motorist shoots male who approaches him allegedly with hand under shirt during road rage incident



A concealed-carrying motorist opened fire at a male who approached him allegedly with his hand under his shirt during a road rage incident in Illinois over the weekend.

Urbana Police said they responded at 4:30 p.m. Saturday to the intersection of Busey Avenue and Park Street.

The female driver was armed with a baseball bat, police said, adding that her male passenger approached the lone male driver.

Police said a male and female in one car got into a verbal dispute with a male driving alone in another car.

The lone male drove past the male and female, police said, adding that the male and female followed the lone male.

The lone male pulled into a hospital emergency room parking lot and then exited on Park Street in order to create distance between himself and the male and female following him, police said.

The car occupied by the male and female continued west on University Avenue, turned north on Busey Avenue, and stopped at Park Street, police said, adding that they exited their vehicle as the lone male reached the intersection.

The female driver was armed with a baseball bat, police said, adding that her male passenger approached the lone male driver.

Police said the lone male driver indicated that the other male had his hand underneath his shirt as if he were carrying a weapon.

Police said the lone male driver — a concealed-carry permit holder — from his vehicle drew a legally concealed gun and fired several rounds striking the other male.

Police said the lone male called 911 to report the incident.

The wounded male was transported to a local hospital where he underwent surgery and was in intensive care, police said.

Police said the incident is under investigation, and no arrests had been made.

Police added that those with information about the case can call 217-384-2320 and make arrangements if they wish to discuss the information privately. Those wishing to remain anonymous can submit tips to Crime Stoppers by phone at 217-373-TIPS, online at 373tips.com, or through the "P3 Tips" mobile app.

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Boston woman killed in road rage attack, devastated mother hopes driver 'burns directly in hell!'



A 26-year-old Boston woman was allegedly killed in an intentional road rage attack, according to reports. The devastated mother of the slain woman hopes the alleged driver involved in the fatal incident "burns directly in hell!"

According to a preliminary investigation by the Middlesex County District Attorney's Office, Ryan Sweatt "became engaged in an apparent road rage incident with another vehicle" on Thursday night while driving on Route 85 in Hopkinton — a suburb of Boston.

At some point, the occupants of the other vehicle exited the car, including Destini Decoff. Authorities say that Sweatt "subsequently made a U-turn at a high rate of speed and struck the victim in the roadway" with his Honda Civic.

Witness Brett Martin told WBZ-TV, "He chose to turn around, chose to come back. He knew what he was doing when he went towards that girl."

"We could tell there was a little road rage going on," Martin alleged.

Martin said, "I saw her mid-air kind of coming down towards the street...her jacket must've been 20 feet away from her. However, she got hit, those clothes flew off."

The prosecutor said Sweatt slammed into Decoff, "knocking her several feet into the air."

Decoff was rushed to the hospital after experiencing injuries “head to toe,” according to her mother. She suffered a brain bleed; collapsed lungs; internal bleeding; and broken shoulders, ribs and tibia.

The New York Post reported, "After spending the night in surgery to remove a portion of her skull to relieve the pressure on her brain and cut out her spleen, Decoff was placed on a ventilator. She died without ever regaining consciousness."

Decoff succumbed to her injuries and died on Sunday.

Sweatt reportedly drove away but said he made the conscious decision to turn around.

However, a prosecutor told the court that a police officer witnessed Sweatt speeding away from the apparent crime scene.

According to Sweatt, the driver of the other vehicle slammed on the brakes while in front of him.

Sweatt, 36, claimed that the individuals in the other vehicle threatened to kill him, and one allegedly pulled a knife on him.

An officer claimed that when Sweatt was pulled over by police, he yelled, "They’re trying to kill me!"

Sweatt, of Milford, was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury, operating to endanger, and a marked lanes violation.

Before her daughter's death, Decoff's mother blasted the driver for the alleged road rage attack.

While her young daughter was on life support, Tracy Decoff wrote on Facebook, "With every ounce of my being I hope that mf burns directly in hell!"

After Destini died, the grieving mother wrote: "Today my biggest fear as a mother became my reality. My first born child & best friend is no longer with me."

Sweatt was jailed without bail.

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Dashcam footage shows horrifying moment angry motorist swings machete at motorbike rider in road-rage attack



Police arrested a Florida man on Monday after dashcam footage captured him assaulting a fellow motorist with a machete.

Miami Springs police arrested Luis Ruiz-Herrera on Monday over his alleged involvement in a "road rage incident" that was caught on video. The assault took place last Friday, Sept. 29.

Luis Ruiz-Herrera (Image source: YouTube screenshot)

It's not immediately clear what proceeded the incident, but the video shows Ruiz-Herrera attack a motorbike rider with a machete, according to police.

"Ruiz-Herrera exited his vehicle armed with a machete ... and approached the victim who was in traffic, on his motor scooter," Miami Springs police said in a statement.

"The victim was able to dismount his motor scooter in time and retreat backwards as Ruiz-Herrera closed the gap between them. Ruiz-Herrera swung the machete at the victim making contact with the left side of his face," police explained. "Ruiz-Herrera fled the scene immediately after."

Despite the victim dodging the machete, police said the tip of the weapon made contact with his face, causing minor injuries.

Thanks to the driver whose dashcam captured the shocking assault, Miami Springs police quickly identified Ruiz-Herrera and took him into custody.

Upon his arrest, Ruiz-Herrera allegedly told police the victim "verbally disrespected his mother," WFOR-TV reported. Still, Ruiz-Herrera was remorseful, law enforcement said.

Ruiz-Herrera was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. In Florida, the crime is a second-degree felony, punishable by a maximum of 15 years in prison. A judge set his bond at $10,000.

At the end of the day, Miami Springs Police Chief Armando Guzman is thankful the incident did result in something worse.

"It could have cut [the victim's] head off. It could have at least cut an artery, and he would have bled off really fast," Guzman told WPLG-TV. "With all the years I've been doing this, it's got to the point where nothing really surprises me anymore. But when you see it live like that, it's real, it's happening."

Road-rage machete attack caught on camera in Miami Springs www.youtube.com

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Video shows road rage suspect allegedly fire 12 shots with toddler in car, hit driver and critically injure innocent bystander: 'He was trying to kill me'



An apparent road rage incident in Georgia turned dangerous when a driver allegedly unleashed a barrage of gunfire while he had an infant in his vehicle.

Michael Gabriel was driving to a doctor's appointment on Wednesday morning when another driver allegedly brake-checked him for possibly tailgating. Gabriel said the driver in front of him slammed on his brakes so hard that he was forced to swerve into the outside lane to avoid a collision.

Gabriel then pulled up next to the Ford Mustang on Ga. 365.

"He didn’t like getting flipped off," Gabriel told The Times of Gainesville, Georgia.

The driver brake-checked Gabriel again. Then the Mustang driver got behind Gabriel and allegedly fired off three gunshots.

"He’s a little bit behind me, kind of diagonally," Gabriel explained. "So I look back and that’s when I saw his window coming down, the gun coming out. Pow! Pow! Pow!"

A bullet pierced his back window, traveled through his car seat, and tore into his right shoulder.

Gabriel told WSB-TV, "There wasn’t a warning shot. He was trying to kill me."

Gabriel pulled out his smartphone to take a video and capture the license plate number on the Mustang. However, when he got near the Mustang, he dropped his phone as nine more gunshots rang out. The alleged gunman got out of his car and reportedly fired on Gabriel's SUV.

During the second shooting, a bullet struck Gabriel in the lower back.

“Had that back shot had any more power, or if the trajectory had been any different, if that seat hadn’t — if it wasn’t built exactly like it was, that could have took out a lot of my organs,” Gabriel said. “It could have been game over.”

Gabriel called the police. He was rushed to the hospital and released later that day.

"It took a serious hand to God to keep me alive and here today,” Gabriel said.

However, a 65-year-old innocent bystander was not so lucky. Paula Kay Blackwell was “caught in the crossfire,” according to Lt. Kevin Holbrook of the Gainesville Police Department. Blackwell was shot in the kidney and was in critical condition as of Thursday, police said.

Video shows Gabriel's Chevrolet Tahoe riddled with bullet holes.

Gainesville police arrested 26-year-old Steven Dallas Cooper. He was charged with aggravated battery, criminal attempt to commit murder, criminal damage to property, reckless conduct, and aggravated assault. Cooper is being held without bond in Hall County Jail.

Cooper had a 2-year-old child in the backseat of the car during the alleged shooting, according to police.

Gabriel's advice for future road rage situations, "It’s so not worth this. If someone makes you mad, wave at them and say a prayer for them.”

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Road rage shooting suspect had toddler in backseat www.youtube.com

2 'stupid grown men' shoot each other's daughters in 'crazy' Florida road-rage incident: Police

2 'stupid grown men' shoot each other's daughters in 'crazy' Florida road-rage incident: Police



Two men in Florida have been charged with felony attempted murder after a road-rage incident turned violent.

Last Saturday evening, William Joseph Hale, 35, and Frank Gilliard Allison, 43, were both driving northbound along Highway 1 just outside Jacksonville, families in tow, when they began to engage in what one witness described as "a cat and mouse game" of one-upmanship. Police said that Hale, who drove a black Dodge truck, and Allison, who drove a Nissan Murano, began "speeding and driving recklessly," occasionally "brake checking" one another and otherwise operating their vehicles in a way that endangered themselves and others.

At some point during the "game," Hale in the truck began to signal to the Nissan to pull over, witnesses said. In response, Jessica Allison, wife of Frank, reportedly rolled down the passenger window of the Nissan to give the truck the middle finger, at which point, someone in the truck allegedly seized the opportunity and threw a water bottle at or into the Nissan.

That's when the situation really escalated, reports suggest.

Frank Allison then "grabbed his Sig Saur 45-caliber automatic handgun and fired one shot at the other truck before driving away at a high rate of speed," said Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper. The shot entered one of the rear doors of the truck and reportedly struck Hale's 5-year-old daughter in the leg.

Once Hale realized that his daughter had been shot, he allegedly returned fire, shooting "everything that was in the magazine" of his Glock 43 9mm semi-automatic handgun, approximately "seven or eight rounds," police said he admitted. Police said that at least three of those rounds hit the Nissan, and one of them struck Allison's 14-year-old daughter in the back, causing a collapsed lung.

The drivers then reportedly spotted a police cruiser, pulled over, and began fighting one another, and deputies had to separate them before eventually placing them both under arrest. Both wives had also reportedly spoken to 911 operators during the incident. At least one but likely both girls were treated at UF Health Downtown hospital for injuries that were not considered life-threatening.

"What’s scarier than one crazy driver with a gun? Two crazy drivers with a gun," Leeper quipped.

"Thankfully, no one was killed in this incident," he continued, "but it could have very easily turned out that way because two people were acting stupid and let their tempers get the best of them.

"There could have been two dead kids because of two stupid grown men."

Both men were booked into Nassau County Jail on second-degree attempted murder and released on $150,000 bond. Police believe that the two men and their families did not know one another prior to the incident.


Shocking dashcam video shows driver opening fire on passing vehicle in Miami road rage incident



Shocking footage from a vehicle's dash camera shows a driver pulling a handgun from his center console before firing nearly a dozen shots at a passing vehicle while traveling on a major highway.

The apparent road rage incident took place last summer in Miami-Dade County, Florida, WTVJ-TV reported on Friday. But video of the incident has only just surfaced in media reports after being released to police by the defendant as part of the investigation.

The video was reportedly first obtained by Miami-based radio host Andy Slater.

According to police reports filed at the time of the incident, 30-year-old Eric Popper of Deerfield Beach was traveling southbound on I-95 early in the morning on June 21, 2021, when he changed lanes and abruptly cut off another driver.

Then, after the other driver honked his horn, Popper allegedly shouted, "Oh, f*** off" and aggressively applied his brakes.

"The victim tailgated the defendant for a short time and made hand gestures out of his driver’s window. In the video, the defendant is seen retrieving a handgun from his center console and pointing it towards his driver’s door," the police report read, according to WFOR-TV.

"When the defendant begins to pass the victim on the right, the defendant points the handgun towards his right-front passenger door. As the victim passes the defendant, he throws and strikes the victim’s vehicle with an unknown object," the report added.

Popper is then seen firing eleven shots at the passing vehicle, striking it multiple times.

Dashcam video from inside driver's car shows him shooting during road rage incident www.youtube.com

Popper has claimed that he was acting in self-defense. In another dashcam video, he can be heard saying, "I was just shot at. My car was hit," adding, "I returned fire back at the individual."

But the victim reportedly claimed that he did not have a gun but rather threw a water bottle at Popper's vehicle. Amazingly, neither of the drivers was injured in the exchange. Both called police to report the incident after it occurred.

Popper voluntarily turned himself in to the Florida Highway Patrol in July but has since bonded out of custody, WLPG-TV reported. He is reportedly facing several felony charges, including aggressive assault with a firearm and shooting/throwing a deadly missile.

At the time of the incident, Popper worked as a civilian fire inspector with Miami Beach. He has since resigned from his position.

Popper's lawyer, Robert Gershman, confirmed the video to WTVJ and told the outlet he believes the footage exonerates his client.

"You hear a bang on Mr. Popper's car, akin to a gunshot, which precipitated the whole incident, so in this matter, the audio and video evidence we believe exonerates him," Gershman said.

Shocking photo shows man shooting women over road rage incident while holding baby



Shocking photos show the moment a man erupted in a road rage shooting in Ohio. The man was enraged over a minor car crash, which reportedly did not include damage to the vehicles and he was not actually involved in. Inconceivable images show the man fire gunshots at women in the nearby car while he was holding a baby with his other hand.

There was a "minor, non-damage" car accident involving two female drivers, according to the Cincinnati Police Department. One of the drivers allegedly told the other, "I'm gonna go get my man, you better go get yours."

Approximately 30 minutes later, one of the drivers returned with Ladon Penn.

"Penn walked out of his car, walked into a home, and reappeared with a gun," the Cincinnati Police Department statement read. "Mr. Penn then start[ed] firing shots at the victim [the 54-year-old woman] and two other women with her. One round ricocheted and grazed the victim."

The 54-year-old woman suffered a "minor gunshot wound to her forearm." Police said, "She was treated and released at the scene."

Penn and the second woman fled from the crime scene. Police officers apprehended the couple about two miles from the location of the car accident. Officers recovered a 9mm handgun they believe was used in the shooting.

Penn, 31, was charged with three counts of felonious assault, child endangerment, and weapons under disability. Police didn't mention if the female acquaintance of Penn will face any charges.

Authorities obtained video of the shooting, and shared unbelievable screenshots that show Penn firing the gun while holding a small baby.

Cincinnati Police Department


After their dad is shot and killed while driving, brothers — ages 6 and 8 — steer car safely off the road and alert police



Two young brothers, ages 6 and 8, steered a vehicle safely off a freeway last week after their father was shot and killed while driving.

What happened?

Police in Houston, Texas, said a 29-year-old man was driving along Interstate 10 near Federal Road Friday night when he was shot once in the head and died.

The man's two young sons, who were in the vehicle with him, first thought someone had thrown a rock at the car after hearing a singular pop. But once they realized something much worse had happened, they were forced to act quickly to save their own lives, KPRC-TV reported.

"When they saw their father slump over in his seat, they took control of the vehicle, using the steering wheel to guide it off the freeway and down the service road near Holland Avenue," the local news outlet reported. "Once the vehicle came to a rest, they immediately got out of the car and sought the help of a woman exiting a Chili's restaurant nearby."

Father shot, killed while driving with kids in the vehicle www.youtube.com

When police arrived on the scene, they located the father dead in the vehicle. The two boys, however, did not sustain any injuries in the incident.

What else?

Investigators are now working to determine what the motive was in the shooting.

"Right now we don't know if it was a road rage incident, we're not really sure what exactly occurred," Houston Police Lieutenant R. Willkens told KPRC. "Our detectives are on the scene and hopefully we'll figure out who did this."

Police said the suspect was driving a white passenger car and are urging anyone with information to reach out to Crime Stoppers.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner announced on Sunday a $10,000 reward for any information that leads to the arrest of those involved in the fatal shooting.

Please provide information that can lead to their arrest by contacting @houstonpolice Homicide Division at 713-308-… https://t.co/EORchjCWuj

— Sylvester Turner (@SylvesterTurner) 1629655521.0

The shooting was reportedly one of at least three violent shooting incidents in Houston within a 12-hour period, though none of the incidents are believed to be related.

Insane video captures the moment a road rage suspect hurls pickaxe into a fellow driver's windshield



Video footage of an extreme case of road rage has gone viral after a male suspect hurled what appears to be a pickaxe into a female motorist's windshield after he reportedly chased her off the highway and blocked her from escaping.

What are the details?

According to local reports, an unnamed 47-year-old male suspect driving a Jeep on a Seattle, Washington, interstate became irate over an undisclosed incident and ended up chasing an unnamed female motorist off the highway.

Video footage captured the moment that the suspect got out of his vehicle, which was stopped in front of the woman, and angrily heaved what appeared to be a pickaxe directly at the woman's windshield.

The object can be seen bouncing off the windshield as the suspect turns around and reenters his vehicle. He then can be seen driving across the median and down the opposite side of the road.

Authorities arrested the suspect three days after the incident.

Following the incident, but before his arrest, the suspect was accused of shouting racial slurs at a local man. A theft was also reported at an area Home Depot store, its suspect reportedly matching the suspect's description. Authorities took him into custody on a warrant for felony hate crime, felony eluding, and theft, in addition to an outstanding felony warrant for first-degree robbery.

What about the video?

The King County Sheriff's Office shared video of the incident to Facebook earlier this month.

Road rage is real, especially when some whacked out driver throws a hammer at your windshield. On the afternoon of July 27th, King County Sheriff's Office deputies in Shoreline responded the 1500 blk. of Ballinger Way NE to investigate this road rage incident.This video nearly says it all. The driver of this Jeep, according to incident reports, began honking at the victim as they merged onto the NE 145th St I-5 on-ramp. As they traveled northbound. the Jeep's driver continued to honk so our victim took the Ballinger Way exit to avoid a freeway confrontation. Only moments later the Jeep passes him, blocks the roadway and the driver hurls a hammer before fleeing. Using additional surveillance, King County detectives identified the Jeep's driver. They learned that only three days after this incident he was apprehended for multiple felonies after fleeing from deputies in Snohomish County. It's easy to find - and charge - a suspect when they are already jail. Charges are pending in Shoreline, but once filed our hammer-thrower should be off our roads for some time.If you believe you may be in a road rage incident consider driving to the nearest police or fire station. Most suspects go where they believe they won't be caught.

Road rage shooting leaves armed motorcyclist dead after reportedly threatening another driver who also had gun



A teen was fatally shot during a road rage shooting in Texas, where an armed motorcyclist allegedly threatened another driver, who also had a gun.

On June 25, JaDerek Gray was driving his motorcycle on I-35 in Fort Worth. The motorcyclist was driving in between the lanes of the highway, an illegal maneuver known as "lane-splitting." An SUV driver changed lanes, but didn't see the motorcycle. Gray swerved to avoid a collision.

Witnesses said Gray sped up to pass several cars ahead of him and then parked his motorcycle in the middle of the freeway, blocking the northbound traffic. Gray then reportedly walked toward the SUV and pointed his handgun at the driver.

The SUV driver allegedly told the gun-toting Gray to put down the firearm, adding that there were children in his vehicle. Gray purportedly kept advancing toward the SUV with his gun drawn. That's when the SUV driver used his own gun to shoot Gray several times.

"There is no doubt that he parked his bike and got off it and went up and approached the other vehicle. Now who started it? I don't know. Who flashed the gun first? I don't know. But ultimately it had tragic outcome that could've been avoided," witness Isel Valenzuela said.

"Man and just a few seconds later I heard gunshots," Valenzuela said. "Everybody slammed on their brakes and I was only about three cars behind where it happened."

Valenzuela had a trauma kit in his car and rushed to treat Gray's gunshot wounds.

"I look over and I see him laying there," Valenzuela said of the teen. "With blood all on his chest and his stomach."

Valenzuela remembered, "The guy was in pain. Saying, 'Oh it hurts. I need to breathe.'"

Police and paramedics arrived about three minutes after the deadly shooting.

Gray was flown to a nearby hospital, where he died. The medical examiner's office said he died of multiple gunshot wounds.

Authorities said that the SUV driver was the first person to call 911 following the shooting. The SUV driver is cooperating with the police investigation, and has not been arrested.

Valenzuela said, "It definitely puts a different perspective on road rage once you witness something so traumatic like that."

Police say driver shot and killed motorcycle rider in self-defense in road rage incident www.youtube.com