Road rage ends with beating

A road-rage incident in Sandy left a man with several bumps and bruises.

A 28-year-old man was stopped at the intersection of 9400 South and 700 East Thursday about 2:30 p.m. waiting to make a left turn when the driver behind him honked, apparently feeling the man in front of him was taking too long, said Sandy Police Sgt. Mitch Howard.

The driver of the first car responded with an obscene hand gesture. As the two cars made the turn they continued exchanging hand gestures, Howard said.

The driver of the second vehicle then swerved at the first car, he said. Although he didn't hit the vehicle, the first driver got scared and turned into a parking lot near 9200 South and 700 East.

The first driver was about to step out of his car to get away but the second driver began punching him before he could get out, Howard said.

The man hit the driver several times in the head, slammed his leg in the door and ripped his shirt, Howard said.

When people from inside the businesses adjacent to the strip-mall parking lot began to come out to see what was going on, the attacker got back in his car and drove away.

One witness was able to write down a license-plate number. Howard said investigators are trying to make contact with a 19-year-old man.

The incident is a good reminder, Howard said, that all drivers need to be patient when they're behind the wheel. And if they do get into an argument with another driver, they should not retaliate or flash hand gestures, he said.

If another driver appears bent on further argument, "drive to a populated area, don't get out of your car and call police if you have a cell phone," Howard said.

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