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Video reveals moment a road rage suspect hurls axe at driver in Washington

Suspect said to be facing multiple felony charges

Louise Hall
Thursday 12 August 2021 18:27 BST
Video footage of the incident on 27 July shows a man wearing no shirt and a pair of shorts getting out of his car before hurtling an axe at someone’s windshield
Video footage of the incident on 27 July shows a man wearing no shirt and a pair of shorts getting out of his car before hurtling an axe at someone’s windshield ( KCPQ)

Shocking video footage has revealed the moment a road rage suspect threw an axe at a driver’s window in Washington state.

The violent incident unfolded on 27 July on a King County interstate when a driver of a Jeep began blasting their horn at another vehicle as they merged onto the highway, according to incident reports.

Reports said that the victim reportedly took an alternative exit to avoid the Jeep but the vehicle followed and blocked the road in front of the driver’s car.

Video footage shows a shirtless man leaping from his car and hurtling an axe at the victim’s windshield.

The axe shatters the windshield before the man casually gets back in his car and drives away from the scene.

“Road rage is real, especially when some whacked out driver throws a hammer at your windshield,” King County Sheriff's Office said. “This video nearly says it all.”

An unnamed suspect was said to have been arrested by police three days after surveillance video allowed authorities to identify his vehicle.

King County detectives identified the Jeep’s driver and “learned that only three days after this incident he was apprehended for multiple felonies after fleeing from deputies in Snohomish County”.

The 47-year-old suspect is facing multiple felony charges after fleeing deputies and yelling racial slurs at a man during a separate incident on 29 June, KCPQ reported.

Following this incident, a theft at a Home Depot was reported and a suspect was seen getting into a silver Jeep Cherokee, the broadcaster said.

The man has an outstanding felony warrant for a first-degree robbery outside of King County and was also wanted for felony hate crime, felony eluding, and theft, according to the outlet.

He was taken into custody in a Seattle park on 30 July.

“Charges are pending in Shoreline, but once filed our hammer-thrower should be off our roads for some time,” police said.

The Independent has contacted Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office for comment.

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