To put it mildly, the last year and a half have been extremely stressful. And, unfortunately, for some, stress can lead to bad decisions, especially in situations of added stress, like driving. It is just a fact of life, which is likely why the incidents of road rage have increased exponentially this year. This is alleged to be the case for one local.
The alleged violent crime
According to the Houston Police Department, the alleged road rage incident (also known as a violent crime incident) occurred last week. HPD stated that the local pointed a gun at another driver last Sunday on the East Loop of North Freeway.
Apparently, there was some issue between the drivers about switching lanes, which is when the other driver slowed down to get behind the local who was charged. This is when the driver (who has requested to remain anonymous) claims that the local slammed on their brakes, which forced the other driver to swerve into another lane to avoid a collision. This is when that driver began filming with their phone, which shows the local holding something that the police believe is a handgun.
HPD claims that the Houstonian was arrested last Tuesday a few hours after the incident. Since that time, he was released on a $20,000 bond. He now faces several additional court dates.
Road rage proliferation
Of course, local news outlets have been reporting on the road rage explosion. According to one local news outlet, ABC13, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office reported nearly 100 incidents of road rage in 2019 and over 60 in 2020. To date, we are already basically at our 2020 numbers, which just shows how bad the problem has become. But, these numbers do not include any incidents that included aggravated assaults or homicides, so these numbers could actually be significantly higher.
What to do after one is arrested
For Houston, Texas, residents that find themselves facing charges, call an attorney immediately. No one bad decision should shape the rest of one’s life.