Road rage leads to man hitting car with tire iron on Interstate 85

An irate driver who was upset that another driver cut him off on Interstate 85 followed the other driver and hit his vehicle with a tire iron, according to an incident report from the Braselton Police Department.

Officers were initially told that a man was standing in the roadway with a gun. That man — a 45-year-old resident of Buford — was detained by police when they arrived.

The Buford man said a Lexus GS 350 was trying to pull in front of his Toyota Sequoia when it hit his vehicle on I-85. The man said the Lexus continued travelling on the interstate.

The Buford man said he closely followed the Lexus in an attempt to get its license plate number. The Lexus then pulled in front of a tractor trailer truck and the Buford man said he backed up his Sequoia to block in the other driver, according to an incident report.

The Buford man got out of his vehicle and approached the Lexus, whose driver remained in the vehicle. The Lexus driver — a 37-year-old man from North Carolina — yelled that he wouldn’t leave the car until police arrived.

The Buford man said the Lexus driver tried to drive off and hit him with his vehicle — which caused him to roll up on the hood of the vehicle, according to an incident report.

At that point, the Buford man said he told his 17-year-old daughter — who was filming the incident with her phone — to get a tire iron from his vehicle, according to police. The Buford man then hit the Lexus’ mirrors and driver’s side door with the tire iron.

When police asked the Buford man why he didn’t call 911, he said he was trying to get his daughter to record the incident. The man initially prohibited police from speaking with his juvenile daughter.

An officer told the Buford man about the charges he was facing and asked to view the cell phone video filmed by the daughter. The man allowed police to speak to her, but then ended the interview and discredited the daughter’s statements, according to an incident report.

The man briefly showed police the cell phone video, but officers said it didn’t show any clear view of the incident. The man put away the phone.

An officer said there was damage on the back right and rear bumper of the Lexus, and damage on the front of the Sequoia with scratches to the front passenger side area of the bumper.

An officer was eventually able to speak to the daughter, who said she couldn’t remember all of the details of the incident, but provided a similar story. She questioned if her statements would incriminate her father, police said.

The Braselton Police Department is investigating the incident.

Braselton Incidents
Other incidents reported to the Braselton Police Department last week included:
•dispute at a Northern Oak Drive address, where a man said another man was fraudulently trying to foreclose on his property. The complainant said he found an employee of the foreclosure company on his property. The employee said he was asked to come to the property with a real estate agency about selling it when the owner arrived. Police separated the parities and the employee was asked not to return until the issue was settled. An officer was unable to speak to attorneys for both parties.

•missing person located at a Ga. Hwy. 211 address, where a woman said her boyfriend dropped her off at work, but she didn’t hear from him again. When the woman called his cell phone, an unknown person answered. The woman said he may have been traveling to Canton. An officer checked several area jails, but the man wasn’t listed as an inmate. A few days later, the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office said it found the man and he would have charges issued against him. The woman then said she wanted to report her vehicle as missing. A Braselton officer said he wouldn’t report the vehicle as stolen because the woman said she let the man use it.

•theft by taking at Cracker Barrel on Exchange Way, where a man said someone stole a laptop and his luggage from his locked vehicle at the restaurant. The man said he didn’t notice the theft until he returned home. An officer said someone used a device to punch out the key lock on his vehicle.

•domestic violence at Beech Trail address, where a man said his ex-girlfriend assaulted him about an issue with her vehicle. The man said he had her vehicle towed from his property earlier. The ex-girlfriend became upset when it wasn’t there and starting hitting the man when he answered the door. The ex-girlfriend’s current boyfriend pulled her off of the man during the incident. Several neighbors also called police, but they didn’t see any physical altercation. The ex-girlfriend and her current boyfriend were given criminal trespass warnings to stay off the man’s property.

•damage to property on Ga. Hwy. 211, where a man said a construction crew working at the intersection of Ga. Hwy. 211 and Interstate 85 damaged his vehicle when they were breaking concrete with a machine. The man said he was sitting at a traffic light when he noticed several rocks hitting his vehicle. The man checked his vehicle and noticed the windshield and other areas were damaged by the rocks.

•damage to property at Publix on Ga. Hwy. 211, where a man said someone hit and damaged his vehicle while he was shopping in the store.

Braselton Arrest
The Braselton Police Department made the following arrest last week:
•Ricardo Andre Moreno, 28, 316 Carter Road, Lot 17, Auburn, wanted person apprehended for a warrant issued by the Auburn Police Department.