CRIME

Road rage driver pulls gun during morning commute in Eagle Mountain

Jun 28, 2024, 3:51 PM | Updated: 10:21 pm

EAGLE MOUNTAIN — The Utah County Sheriff’s Office is trying to find a driver they believe pulled out a gun during a road rage incident Thursday morning. It’s the second troubling report in the span of a couple days, on the very same road.

That latest incident, explained Utah County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Spencer Cannon, unfolded during the commute just before 6:30 am on Pony Express Parkway.

He explained that a driver called dispatch to report a man in a Toyota Corolla was tailgating the caller.

“The driver of that Toyota reportedly brandished a firearm during this interaction,” Cannon said.

The gun-wielding driver took off, but not before Cannon said the caller got the license plate and vehicle description. He said other police agencies helped them try to find the Corolla driver, but so far haven’t had luck.

Cannon indicated they’ll continue to follow up, and the driver could be arrested and criminally charged.

“These kinds of things happen far too often, but we hope to be able to track this person down,” he said.

A few days prior, on Tuesday evening, Cannon described how a different road rage situation had played out on Pony Express Parkway near the Eagle Mountain city center.

Cannon explained that a deputy spotted irate road rage racers weaving in and out of traffic at 84 miles an hour on a 40-mile-an-hour stretch of the divided highway.

Not wanting to create further danger, Cannon said the deputy followed the two cars but didn’t try to catch up.

“They got caught up at a red light, so they were stopped, and the deputy was able to pull in front of them and get them to pull over,” Cannon said. “Both of them were arrested for exhibition of speed and for reckless driving.”

‘They should have arrested him’; Video captures aggressive road rage incident in Lehi

In addition to booking the two drivers into jail, Cannon said the sheriff’s office impounded both vehicles.

“You’re putting everybody around you at risk, and we won’t tolerate that,” he said.

For anyone out there whose blood tends to boil at the wheel, Cannon urged them to take a deep breath, count to 10, and think about what really matters most in those moments.

“Sometimes they escalate, and they can, as we all know and have seen in stories around the state, they can become deadly,” he warned.

Cannon pointed to a road rage crash in Eagle Mountain a year ago that killed two innocent people not involved in the original incident. The driver arrested in that case is still in jail on charges including manslaughter, and if convicted, Cannon said that driver could end up in prison.

“All the regret in the world isn’t going to change a deadly outcome once it happens,” Cannon said.

For anyone targeted by an out-of-control driver, his main message is to take the steps the 911 caller took Thursday morning, by trying to get a full or partial license plate number and vehicle description.

Cannon said descriptions of the road rage driver and any weapons brandished are also helpful, but safety always comes first. Cannon said not to follow a road rage driver.

“Try to be observant as it’s happening,” Cannon said. “And always be the one to take the high road, and back off and back away.”

‘Chill out’: Utah drivers urged to avoid road rage as new law takes effect July 1

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Road rage driver pulls gun during morning commute in Eagle Mountain