TAYLOR, Mich. (WXYZ) — A routine traffic dispute on a Taylor street Tuesday afternoon escalated into a dangerous confrontation involving gunfire, mace and a woman being dragged by a vehicle — all captured on video by a bystander.
The incident occurred around 2 p.m. on Pardee Road near Goddard Road when a silver SUV in the left lane attempted to merge right, but the driver of a gray hatchback wouldn't allow it, according to Taylor Police Detective Phillip Wengrowski.
Watch Faraz Javed's video report below:
When the SUV finally moved in front, both vehicles became stuck in traffic. That's when the front seat passenger of the SUV exited his vehicle and approached the hatchback.
"The driver of the second vehicle saw the front seat passenger approaching him. He exited his vehicle with a mace and retreated to the rear of his vehicle," Wengrowski said.
The hatchback driver warned the SUV passenger to back up while spraying mace. The passenger then lifted his shirt to reveal a firearm tucked in his waistband.
"Once the individual who maced saw the gun, he retreated back into his vehicle," Wengrowski said.
The video shows the hatchback attempting to flee, but the SUV's driver — a woman in her 30s — stepped in front of the vehicle.
The woman "appeared to put a portion of her upper body onto the vehicle," Wengrowski said. "The driver of vehicle two, knowing that the driver of the passenger of the first vehicle had a firearm, he accelerated his vehicle, which caused the female driver of the first vehicle to be dragged for 10 to 20 feet."
The SUV's passenger, a man in his late 70s, then opened fire on the fleeing hatchback driver, a man in his early 30s. The shooter fired three times, with one bullet nearly missing the driver.
"Help her pull in. I can't see, I can't see," the shooter can be heard saying on the video.
Watch more of the road rage incident below:
Area resident Al Pieczura, who watched the footage, expressed disbelief at the shooter's statement.
"So, what was he shooting at?" Pieczura said.
Flock cameras helped police locate the hatchback the following day. The vehicle had a shattered back windshield and a bullet hole just inches from the gas tank.
"As well as a round that went past the driver's head and shattered the glass in the front visor," Wengrowski said.
All three individuals involved are Taylor residents. No one was seriously injured, but the hatchback driver who fled the scene and the man who opened fire remain in custody pending possible charges.
"Lessons to be learned could just be to be a mindful driver," Wengrowski said. "At the end of the day, everybody's going to get to where they're going. And rushing, it's not worth a criminal charge, let alone worth your life at all."
Police say both men will have to prove their actions fall under Michigan's self-defense laws. The hatchback driver's arrest also stems from fleeing the scene, hitting the driver in the process and failing to report the incident.
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