Armed Road Rage: March 2013

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

North Carolina couple faces charges after gun fired in road rage incident

Josh Berry and Nathan Brozman were driving near Newport, North Carolina. According to reports, Berry's pick-up truck cut off an SUV being driven by Bradley Turner of La Grange.
Berry claims the SUV followed them for 25 miles before both cars pulled up outside a house in Newport. What happened next was caught on a cell phone video.
Turner gets out of his car, walks up to the truck and throws a punch at Berry. At which point Berry and Brozman get out of the truck and start hitting Turner. Turner's wife, Christy, then walks over and gives Turner a handgun which he in turn fires at the men before getting back in his car.
Police report that the gunshot hit a nearby house. They also said there was a toddler in the Turner's car throughout the incident.
The Turners turned themselves in to police. Bradley Turner, age 40, was charged with discharging a weapon into property and assault. His wife, Christy, age 30, was charged with two counts of assault by pointing with a gun.

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Pennsylvania man arrested for firing gun during road rage incident

30-year-old Daniel Parliament, of Beach Lake, PA was arrested and charged with aggravated assault and reckless endangerment for allegedly firing a gun during an incident of road rage.
According to police, Parliament fired his gun at a pick-up truck that had pulled in front of him. Police found a handgun in the car, but Parliament denies firing the gun.

States have made it easier and easier for motorists to carry loaded guns in their vehicles. Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health asked the question, "Are motorists with guns in the car more or less likely to engage in hostile and aggressive behavior? The studies concluded that "riding with a firearm in the vehicle was a marker for aggressive and dangerous driver behavior."

(see Accident Analysis and Prevention, Nov. 2005, issue 38, pgs. 687-695 and 2002, issue 34, pgs. 807-814)

Authors Hemenway, Vriniotis, and Miller write, "Road rage may be most dangerous when an enraged motorists has immediate access to a lethal weapon, such as a gun. Our study finds that motorists who have ridden with firearms in their vehicles are more likely to make obscene gestures at other drivers and to follow other drivers aggressively. They are also more likely to be the victims of these behaviors. Contrary to common claims, it does not appear that 'an armed society is a polite society'."