Road rage. Still vivid.

Upfront: this happened about 15 years ago.

I was driving to work (in a work truck) on a major interstate. Some guy in an SUV perceived me as doing something to piss him off. He started getting right on my bumper, and then getting a lane over to the left and actively trying to bumper/pit maneuver me. So I accelerated through the situation and got to about 120 on the freeway. Didn’t think to call the cops. I was young and ignorant.

He followed me and kept up through traffic. I took the next exit, it was green. Opened up to 3 lanes in either direction. Hit the next red light and I was the front car of the intersection in the middle lane. He drove in the wrong lane to get around everyone and cuts across blocking me in T style at the light. I’m in the middle lane, surrounded by cars. Nowhere to go. His car in the middle of the intersection blocking me in.

He gets out. Walks to my door and starts pulling on the handle and banging my window saying he’s going to kill me and this and that. Thankfully the work truck had auto locking doors.

Because of my job, I worked in remote places alone. So I kept a pistol in a pelican case on the passenger seat or on my person. In this instance, it was in the case on the seat.

I didn’t say a word, or react brashly. Just quietly reached over, opened the case, and racked a round. Didn’t point it at him, didn’t say anything. Just prepared for if he were to break the barrier of my vehicle.

He started spewing off about how I was brandishing a weapon and that it was felony, this that and the other. I don’t remember the words exactly, I had other things going through my head. He mentioned his kids in the car and his wife was recording with her phone. I just remember thinking his wife was going to record something he’d not want her to record. Or his kids to see.

Light turns green, cars around me move forward. With the open traffic, I shift lanes and drive around his parked vehicle to continue forward. He runs to his car and follows me another 2-3 miles before finally flipping a u-turn and disappearing.

About 10 minutes later I get a call from my boss saying the police called them regarding my vehicle and to expect a call from the PD.

PD calls about 5 minutes later. At this point the adrenaline is gone and I’m emotionally wrecked. Knowing what just happened and how it could have gone.

I explain everything as above to the officer. The officer has the audacity to say “no, you were in the right, but call us next time after it’s over”.

It’s one of those things I can see, feel, hear. Crystal clear many years later wondering how the hell it happened. Wondering what I did wrong to piss him off. Wondering what the trigger was. And wondering how my life would be different if the doors on my truck weren’t locked and windows rolled up.

Submitted June 22, 2024 at 08:55PM by shabuki133 https://ift.tt/60wmEAi