A motorist is in jail after he allegedly pointed a gun at a trucker during a road rage incident. He told police that he wanted to show the trucker that he’s “not as tough as I am.”
The suspect was merging onto I-90 near Bozeman, Montana at around 8:00am. He had difficulty merging due to a semi-truck that was in the lane next to him. He made his displeasure known by pulling up alongside the truck and flipping off the driver.
According to charging documents, the suspect claims that the driver then returned a rude gesture. Then says this prompted him to pull out his concealed carry handgun to show the trucker.
During his interview, the suspect told officers that he showed the trucker his gun to say: “If you’re going to cause me to go into the other side of road, like, I have this and I’ll shoot your tire out if I want.” He also said that the driver “can back off and obey the law just as much as anyone else.”
The unnamed trucker however claims that he was unable to change lanes to allow the individual onto I-90 due to traffic around him. He also said that the suspect pointed the gun at him and he was afraid the man was going to shoot him.
The driver followed him, called the police, and gave them his license plate number. Police stopped the offender using protocol for a “high-risk” traffic stop. A .45 caliber pistol with a loaded magazine and empty chamber was found after police obtained a search warrant for the car.
The suspect has been charged with assault with a weapon and is being held of $10,000 bail.
Source: kbzk, bozemandailychronicle
The old ways of obeying traffic laws and rules are gone. The classic one is the entrance ramps to the interstate… they think everyone traveling in the right lane doing 70 mph are all supposed to bow down, roll out the red carpet and get them set into their comfort zone so they can go about their day seamlessly.
The YIELD sign is useless these days.
depends on the state you are in, mich. you must yield to ramp traffic unless the ramp has a yield sign. there is also a thing called common curtsey that most truck drivers no longer have.
I can not count the number of times I move over for a truck entering the freeway and they get up to speed and leave me hanging in the left lane with them right at the back of my icc bar.
I have moved over to let 4 wheelers and trucks on the road only to be left hanging in the left lane. These days, I’m more hesitant to change lanes. The pain simply isn’t worth it.
You’re so right. If the moron tgat pulled the gun knew the traffic and the gun laws he could havw saved himself a whole lot of grief and expense.
I bet he will learn how to merge properly now!
My policy for entrance ramps is…. Ahead of me I let you in. Beside me your choice speed up or slow down. If the lane to my left is clear I move over.
Merging traffic must yield, so the trucker was following the law and some idiot in a hurry decided to make concealed carriers look bad because he thinks the world revolves around him.
Good on the trucker for not slamming into him full force.
You are right. I have a heavy missile I am driving and I can’t leap out of the way. I don’t HAVE to, I mostly don’t want to and I probably not going to. They are more nimble with better visibility, acceleration and braking. Motorists need to learn what that yield sign means and that there is even one there. It means yield i.e. GIVE WAY.
Do they still use Yield signs? I see more no left turn signs at entrance ramps.
Actually, the trucker should have just shrugged and waved in response to the car drivers gesture. That would have still pissed him off but the gun probably wouldn’t have been drawn.
I laugh when people put that finger on display. It’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen. That finger means nothing to me. Point a gun at me, you’re going off-roading.
I once slowed down to “assist” a merging vehicle.
The merging vehicle then slowed down at the same time…unbeknownst to me
to get behind me.
I slowed down more as he/she was slowing down even more.
We both ended up at about 30mph on an Interstate highway.
It took only seconds for this to happen and I’m sure we both felt foolish.
I know I did ! ! !
So much for being a nice guy…had someone ran into my rear.
Its up to the merging vehicle to do so safely.
Since when does the traffic that has already established there lane of travel have to move. I don’t most of the time although I’m well aware they are there. Its the driver merging that has the responsibility to do it safely.
Yes todays dumb liberally moronic motorist seem to have a perverted idea that they can make up the rules of the road as they go along… Oh my I just basically insulted NY state, me bad
How pathetic! The trucker made you mad cuz he didnt get over to let you on oh boohoo. Let me pull my gun on you cuz I’m so tough! Pulling your gun on someone also gives that other person the right if they feared for their life to pull their gun and blow you away or ram you with their semi! I’m glad they got him and now he can lose his rights to his guns! Highway traffic DOES NOT have to yield to merging traffic. The trucker was following the law that impatient ass 4 wheeler was not following the law merging or when he showed off his gun!
I had a road rager pull a gun on me once. I got in the left lane to pass a slow truck and this vehicle comes out of no where, puts their brights on right behind me peeking around me blinding me in my mirror (I’m going 70mph in a 70 passing a 65mph truck) as I get over they leave their brights on and slowly pass me when they rushed up on me when I was in the left lane. So i honked my horn at the jerk. Guy loses his head starts throwing his arms around slams his brakes flips me off then turns his light on so I can see him clearly grabs his pistol and points it at me. As I look back over at him I realize hes pointing his pistol at me and at that point I swerve my truck at him coming in on his lane he drops his gun quick and speeds off. I try and catch his license plate to no avail. I call on the CB someone catch his lisence plate hes headed west bound black SUV mile marker so on. What do I get in response from other trucks??? Oh yeah right I doubt anyone pulled their gun on you. I was in the middle of ringing 911 when they said that. I reported it but of course no license plate and the guy was gone. Good ol Arkansas. Pulling guns on people for no reason must be a thing in that backwoods crap state.
I move over during heavy traffic, if I can or I drive under posted if I dont want to be in the rush, rat, race. Thus others can merge, if they are paying attention. However, if its a sole car and no congestion and all they have to do slow or accelerate, as they legally should, I am not moving by rig for one car. Ive had guns pointed at me and shot at out here, and cars racing ahead or squeezing in and braking hard, because people feel I am to cater to them. The aggressive psychology has gotten worse…month after month. Feeding it? The big billboard of lawyers advertising trucking accident paydays and the love of guns making cowards tough guys.
A gun doesn’t make a coward a tough guy. By your analogy our veterans are cowards. The cowardly act is pointing the gun to intimediate. A gun should NEVER be pointed at anyone, unless you are going kill them. Gun ownership and vehicle ownership comes with responsibility. The sad part is hardly anyone has the responsibility part, anymore.
” I am not moving by rig for one car”
just how lazy are you. I see you have the attitude I am here and f you, you work around me. again here we have more truckers acting like 4 wheelers.
I agree. If possible I would rather slow down than to move over and traffic on a long enough ramp should accelerate enough to merge in at a good speed. Also I understand that this job means that the flow of traffic may not always work what I think is best. Watch out for the gun owners. They generally have a skewed vision of reality.
“Watch out for the gun owners. They generally have a skewed vision of reality.”
Really? I think your vision of gun owners is generally skewed.
What dumb person would say all of that nonsense to an officer (I’m assuming without a lawyer present) and think that he was going to be justified? Guy’s a loose cannon, glad he’s off the streets.
Why can’t people learn how to merge? See this everyday…if you move over,then they stay beside you and don’t know enough to let you back in,then everyone starts passing on the inside…I don’t move over!.
I just love the ones who race up on my left when they see my signal come on to pass. Then, they slow down and pass very slowly.
Lack of public education on heavy trucks. We assume it’s common sense, apparently it is not.
They threaten my life at least 10 times a day by assuming we are able to maneuver like a 4 wheeler!
Let’s see now the four wheeler was in a hurry but he had time to give a hand signal to the trucker then time to locate his gun and even more time to follow the driver. I thought he was in a hurry? Lots of trigger happy people lately. What makes the four wheeler more stupid is the fact he had to tell the cops he needed to pull his gun to show he’s tougher than the trucker. I wonder if he owns a dog and if so does he use it to show he’s tough.
Should read: “Man Pulls Gun to Show Trucker ‘He’s Not as DUMB as I am.’”
Here’s an extreme example of Americans being generally clueless about the rules and techniques of proper merging. Add to that following too close, cruising the left lane, and passing on the inside. The idiocy must stop.
STOP THE INSANITY!!!!
SERENITY NOW!!!!
Since when does merging traffic have the right-of-way?
Point a gun at me and I’ll use 80,000 pounds to put you into the wall.
My thought exactly. You pull a gun on me while I’m behind the wheel, and you’d better be quick on the trigger because you’re about to get demolished by 80k+ of truck and trailer.
The only thing Smith proved is that the trucker is not as stupid as you are!! Enjoy paying that $10,000.
I’m a truck driver like s lot of you guys. If you are coming up to a ramp and you notice traffic coming down the ramp. If you can move over you better move over. If you don’t move over when you could have, if they hit you. They’ll get a ticket but they have a year to come back against the company and the driver!! I know two drivers who lost their driving careers because they didn’t move over. If you don’t believe me. Call a lawyer they will educate you on this fact!!!
Sounds like your 2 buddies need better lawyers. How could any “victim ” possibly prove that there was no one in the lane next to you? Besides…you are under no legal obligation to move over…the merging vehicle is obligated to do as the sign says, YIELD!
When was the last time you read a driving hand book from the DMV because it says right there it’s the responsibility of the people merging to speed up or slow down and merge into a space that is open. Not the responsibility of the person on the interstate to merge you.
They have to prove you could safely move to the next lane. Another thing,if a driver of a 4 wheeler is dumb enough to hit the truck on purpose, they get what they deserved. No sympathy for the morons.
I always come to a complete stop on the Interstate so traffic can merge. Everyone else is so much more important than me, it’s the least I can do. If they pull a gun, I cower and hide, someone who pulls a gun is super tough.
Just had similar thing happen in Nashville 2 weeks ago and it ended with the truck driver dead and no charges being filed yet against the motorist. Everybody is just in such a hurry and most don’t understand that trucks can’t slow down and move over
It’s not that they don’t understand, they don’t care.
The 4-wheeler should be glad he wasn’t pulling a gun on a gun carrying truck driver…the headline would have been much different.
in the 90’s had a guy coming down an on ramp. Both lanes were bumper to bumper 4PM. a few miles down the road a car pulls up on the left side and honks and keeps honking. It’s Mr. On Ramp and he is pointing a sawed off shotgun at me. He finally gets bored with me and drives away. I call 911. almost 15 miles down the road I see an unmarked car with the taillights and lights in the back window flashing. I move to the left lane, ole” Mr. Shotgun is on his face and a plainclothes LEO has his weapon on the back of Mr. Shotgun’s neck. Somedays even the cops make your day worth while