APD urges drivers to put down their pistols in road rage incidents

AUSTIN, Texas (FOX 7 Austin) - The Austin Police Department is seeing a surge of road rage cases on Austin roadways this year. APD’s Aggravated Assault Unit was formed in January and since then they’ve seen 45 road rages cases reported.

Detective Robert Snider said the majority of those cases involved a gun. "You cannot pull a gun on people for cutting you off, for brake checking you, for giving you an unkind gesture on the road," Detective Snider said.

Road rage incidents can result in injury and in some cases, death.

In September 2017, Alfred Dre Lockett was shot to death outside of a CVS parking lot after colliding with Juan de Dios Carbajal-Jaimes near Parmer and Dessau. Police said Carbajal-Jaimes fled to Mexico following the incident.

Of the 45 cases in 2019, nine have resulted in arrests. Detective Snider said video evidence and license plate information can help lead to arrests in most cases. "The victim and the descriptions is where the investigation starts and without it, its hard to get it rolling," said Snider.

To avoid escalating potentially dangerous situations, APD recommends drivers don't engage and place a safe distance between you and the disgruntled driver.

If the situation gets out of hand, jot down the driver's license plate number and call the police.