Road rage ends with violent assault

WASILLA — What do you call it when one motorist smacks another over the head with a pry bar?

Police are calling it road rage.

Officer Rick Manrique said he was called to respond to a fight in progress at 11:24 a.m. Tuesday on Knik-Goose Bay Road. Upon arrival, he saw a Jeep Cherokee in a ditch, a Volkswagen in the road and a group of people gathered around.

“Quite a few passersby that observed it stopped to make sure it didn’t go any further,” he said.

Manrique was able to piece the story together after talking to witnesses and the two drivers. Apparently, it all started at about Mile 8.5 Knik-Goose Bay Road. The driver of the Jeep Cherokee, a 46-year-old man, was trying to pass the Jetta and its 18-year-old male driver.

Manrique said it is Wasilla Police Department policy not to release the names of suspects until they have been formally charged with a crime.

As the Jeep tried to pass, Manrique said, the Volkswagen would speed up and not let it by. It’s hard to say who was in the wrong. Witnesses reported some of the passing attempts were in no-passing zones and going around curves in the road.

Still, “You have a requirement to allow people to pass,” in legal passing zones, Manrique said.

The jockeying continued until at about Mile 2.2.

“The Volkswagen Jetta kind of moved to the left a little bit. He moved left like he was going to turn, but it’s not apparent if he was signaling or not,” Manrique said.

At this point the Jeep tried to pass the Jetta on the right. But the Jetta moved back into the center of the lane, sending the Cherokee careening off the right side of the road. The Jeep went about 200 feet, skidding kind-of sideways, went into the ditch, caught at least a little bit of air going over a driveway and came to a rest. And, after all that, the vehicle landed on its wheels.

The Jetta was still on the road, but its driver stopped and got out. This is where the fight began, and it is also where accounts start to differ.

The Jetta’s driver said he was just going to go over and check on the other driver. But the Jeep’s driver said he was being attacked and that’s why he defended himself with a pry bar and cracked the other driver over the head with it.

Manrique said the blow left a good-sized gash in the Jetta driver’s head. It was bleeding profusely when his family drove him to Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, where he was treated and released.

As for the Jeep’s driver, Manrique said he hasn’t been arrested, but a recommendation for felony assault charges have been sent to the district attorney. If the district attorney decides to prosecute the other driver, his name will be released.

Oddly, Manrique was the officer who responded to a call in mid-December in which one motorist waved a gun at another motorist.

“We ended up taking the suspect in that down at gunpoint. Turned out after interviewing him it was a justified use of force. He didn’t shoot the gun, he just brandished the gun,” Manrique said.

Wasilla gets its fair share of road rage. Manrique said the incidents tend to happen in the afternoon between tired, irritated drivers.

His advice?

“If somebody’s mad at you, just let off that gas pedal. Let them go around and get on with life.”

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.