OEF_VET
Member
I was driving home from work about 10pm last night, along I-65 South, just south of Nashville, TN, about 2 miles from my exit, when I had a very bad experience.
As I'm cruising along at about 80-85 mph, a little white car comes flying by me and cuts right in front of me, close enough for me to have to tap on the brakes. I flashed my high-beams, as a signal to him that he almost hit me. My exit was coming up, so I merged into the right lane, passing him as I did so. When I passed him, I see him giving me the one-finger salute. Next thing he does is fly past and cut in front of me again. Again, I briefly flashed my lights (not the best move, but I didn't expect the result it garnered). The driver of the white car slams on his brakes. I kind of thought he'd tap on them, to scare me. I wasn't tailgating him, mind you, he had just cut in front of me, with about 10 feet seperating our vehicles. I slammed on my brakes, causing traffic behind me to swerve around us. I immediately picked up my cell phone and began dialing 911. As I'm doing so, he leans out his window, shaking his fist and yelling something. He even started to get out of his car, in the middle of the interstate!
I put my truck into reverse and started backing away from him, intent on leaving the interstate via the ramp. He saw what I was planning to do, so he got back into his car, sped ahead and pulled off to the side. He began to open his door, like he was hoping I'd stop and get out. I passed him, so he got back in and sped ahead of me again. As we made the turn at the light, he cut me off again and stopped his car in the middle of the road, pointing to a nearby Waffle House parking lot. I guess he thought I'd get out and fight him or something.
While this is happening, I'm explaining to the police dispatcher what happened and where we are located. She's a State Police dispatcher, so she transfers me to the local jurisdiction. Just as that dispatcher comes on the line, one of the local cops passes in his cruiser. I immediately pulled away from the idiot in the white car and followed the cop car, flashing my headlights to get his attention. The cop saw me and quickly pulled over. I approached the officer and told him what had transpired, giving him the tag number of the car.
Like I told the officer, I was concerned that this idiot would follow me to my house or slam into my truck, forcing me into a defensive situation. Unfortunately, I didn't have a weapon with me. I had gone to IL for a wedding this past weekend and hadn't been home since returning. Therefore, my CCW piece was sitting snugly in the safe.
My plan when this escalated to the point it did: call the police, report the incident, and ask for a police officer to meet me ASAP at the firehouse down the street. There was no way I was going home with this beligerent individual following me like he was doing. There was also no way I was getting out of my truck, unless there was a cop present. I also didn't want to drive around all night, with this guy chasing me.
Thankfully, it turned out well. I think that when he saw me chase the cop down, he did a U-turn and went back to the interstate.
I did learn some lessons. One, stop flashing my lights when some idiot demonstrates his stupidity. Two, carry a dang handgun in the truck at ALL times. I normally do so, however, it is illegal to do so in IL. So, I guess I'll just have to be very careful not to get into situations where IL cops have to search my truck.
Of course, if I had a handgun, I wouldn't have brandished it over a case of road rage. However, if he had slammed into my truck, disabling it, I can see where it may have been necessary to use lethal force to stop him from being a threat. Like I said earlier, thankfully, it turned out well.
As I'm cruising along at about 80-85 mph, a little white car comes flying by me and cuts right in front of me, close enough for me to have to tap on the brakes. I flashed my high-beams, as a signal to him that he almost hit me. My exit was coming up, so I merged into the right lane, passing him as I did so. When I passed him, I see him giving me the one-finger salute. Next thing he does is fly past and cut in front of me again. Again, I briefly flashed my lights (not the best move, but I didn't expect the result it garnered). The driver of the white car slams on his brakes. I kind of thought he'd tap on them, to scare me. I wasn't tailgating him, mind you, he had just cut in front of me, with about 10 feet seperating our vehicles. I slammed on my brakes, causing traffic behind me to swerve around us. I immediately picked up my cell phone and began dialing 911. As I'm doing so, he leans out his window, shaking his fist and yelling something. He even started to get out of his car, in the middle of the interstate!
I put my truck into reverse and started backing away from him, intent on leaving the interstate via the ramp. He saw what I was planning to do, so he got back into his car, sped ahead and pulled off to the side. He began to open his door, like he was hoping I'd stop and get out. I passed him, so he got back in and sped ahead of me again. As we made the turn at the light, he cut me off again and stopped his car in the middle of the road, pointing to a nearby Waffle House parking lot. I guess he thought I'd get out and fight him or something.
While this is happening, I'm explaining to the police dispatcher what happened and where we are located. She's a State Police dispatcher, so she transfers me to the local jurisdiction. Just as that dispatcher comes on the line, one of the local cops passes in his cruiser. I immediately pulled away from the idiot in the white car and followed the cop car, flashing my headlights to get his attention. The cop saw me and quickly pulled over. I approached the officer and told him what had transpired, giving him the tag number of the car.
Like I told the officer, I was concerned that this idiot would follow me to my house or slam into my truck, forcing me into a defensive situation. Unfortunately, I didn't have a weapon with me. I had gone to IL for a wedding this past weekend and hadn't been home since returning. Therefore, my CCW piece was sitting snugly in the safe.
My plan when this escalated to the point it did: call the police, report the incident, and ask for a police officer to meet me ASAP at the firehouse down the street. There was no way I was going home with this beligerent individual following me like he was doing. There was also no way I was getting out of my truck, unless there was a cop present. I also didn't want to drive around all night, with this guy chasing me.
Thankfully, it turned out well. I think that when he saw me chase the cop down, he did a U-turn and went back to the interstate.
I did learn some lessons. One, stop flashing my lights when some idiot demonstrates his stupidity. Two, carry a dang handgun in the truck at ALL times. I normally do so, however, it is illegal to do so in IL. So, I guess I'll just have to be very careful not to get into situations where IL cops have to search my truck.
Of course, if I had a handgun, I wouldn't have brandished it over a case of road rage. However, if he had slammed into my truck, disabling it, I can see where it may have been necessary to use lethal force to stop him from being a threat. Like I said earlier, thankfully, it turned out well.
