Kingston Police report two arrests in cases of road rage involving assaults

Two local men are facing charges after two separate road rage incidents, each of which resulted in injuries for other motorists.

The first incident occurred on Friday, Feb. 14, 2020 when the male victim was driving northbound on Division Street near Elliot Avenue. The victim observed another male driving erratically behind him, tailgating and swerving from side to side behind him. The victim put his hand out the window and gestured in an attempt to ask what the issue was, according to police. At that time, the accused driver swerved around the victim, almost hitting his vehicle, and then slammed on his brakes, preventing the victim from driving forward.

The accused man then exited his vehicle and approached the victim’s vehicle, at which point he punched the victim in the face twice through the open window. The victim help up his hands, attempting to protect his face, and the accused man grabbed his wrist, twisting it aggressively and causing injury. The accused man then grabbed the victim’s chain and ripped it from his neck.

The accused man then began walking back to his vehicle, so the victim exited his vehicle to take photos of him and his licence plate. At that time, the accused man assaulted the victim again.

The events were reported to police, who made numerous attempts to locate the accused man. Finally, on Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020 at approximately 9 a.m., the accused attended Kingston Police Headquarters, and was subsequently arrested. He was later released on conditions with a future court date.

The 44-year-old man was charged with assault.

The second case took place on Monday, Feb. 17, 2020 when, at approximately 4:30 p.m., the male victim was driving southbound on Division Street just south of John Counter Boulevard. There, a white SUV passed him aggressively in the merge lane just south of the intersection. According to police, the victim flashed his high beams at the SUV, which had stopped behind a bus, in an attempt to caution the driver to drive more carefully.

While both drivers were stopped in traffic, the accused man exited his vehicle and walked back to the victim’s vehicle where he punched the victim twice through his open window, causing injury to the victim’s face.

Police obtained video footage of the incident, which clearly showed the accused man assaulting the victim. The video also showed that, after the accused man returned to his vehicle, he passed the Kingston Transit bus in oncoming traffic southbound on Division Street and nearly hit another vehicle, which was driving northbound.

The events were reported to police, who located and arrested the accused man at his north-end residence on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020 at approximately 3:55 p.m. He was taken to Kingston Police Headquarters, where he was later released on conditions with a future court date.

The 70-year-old Kingston man was charged with assault and careless driving.