DOTHAN, Ala. –
Last week, a driver with a gun went after a Dothan man on his way home from work, adding to the growing problem of road rage.
Jake Watford told News4 that his accused attacker followed him for several miles before shooting at him. “He started flashing his weapon in the windshield,” he said.
Even though Watford had no injuries, the bullet did damage to the trunk of his small car.
He said that the trouble started on Fortner Street and ended about four miles away on Hartford Highway with a shot.
Toddrick Devonte Rolley, 31, was caught almost right away. He is being charged with Shooting into an Occupied Vehicle, which is a crime.
Dothan Police Major Will Glover says that more people keeping guns in their cars and having less patience are to blame for the rise in road rage.
“I’ve seen other incidents where (both) vehicles have a gun and then you’ve got a full-fledged gunfight,” Glover told News4 on Wednesday.
Most of the time, road rage leads to loud horns, rude words, and flipping people off. But sometimes, things get out of hand.
According to a study by Everytown Research, the number of road rage injuries more than doubled in the four years ending in 2022, rising to 413, with 141 deaths.
Even though Watford doesn’t think his attacker meant to shoot him, he says that the shot scared him.
“I never knew that my wheels could turn that fast,” he said.
Rolley was charged with the same thing in 2012, but the case was dropped.
More News:
- DPD charges a Dothan man with robbery after he stole items and injured a Store employee
- Police: An Abbeville man ran a red light in Dothan and died shortly afterward
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