A woman in California was arrested on Thursday after allegedly using pepper spray on an Army veteran during a road rage incident that was recorded on video. This confrontation led to a dramatic four-mile police chase during which officers found a large knife in her vehicle, according to authorities.
Tiffany Bagbee, 41, is now in the Solano County Jail facing multiple felony charges following this intense encounter, as reported by the Vallejo Police Department.
The incident originated from a crash on May 11 involving Army veteran Joe Vallely. He reported that while he was driving his company’s bucket truck in the Vallejo waterfront area, he was attacked.
Vallely, driving south on Wilson Street near Hitchbourne, said a woman in a red Nissan Altima began making obscene gestures and then abruptly blocked his car by driving in front of him at high speed.
“I was just trying to drive carefully. There are new speed bumps, so everyone has to slow down,” Vallely noted earlier.
During the altercation, Valerie felt threatened, especially since he couldn’t escape because another vehicle was behind him. In an attempt to capture the altercation, he started recording with his phone.
On the video, Bagbee can be seen exiting her car with what appeared to be a can of pepper spray. She reportedly taunted Vallely before spraying him directly in the face.
After the attack, Vallely experienced temporary blindness and fled, eventually seeking medical help to wash out his eyes at a nearby store. Authorities later identified Bagbee as the suspect and tried to reach out to her, but she reportedly did not cooperate.
The situation escalated on Thursday when police spotted Bagbee driving and attempted to pull her over. She initially disobeyed police commands, then sped off, leading to another pursuit that ended on Hilborn Avenue. There, she again resisted arrest before being apprehended.
During her arrest, officers found a large knife wedged between the driver’s seat and the center console. Later, Bagbee admitted to spraying Vallely during their initial confrontation.
As a result, she now faces several charges, including assault, escape, and false imprisonment, with bail set at $57,000.
After the event, Bagbee shared her version online, claiming she used the spray to defend herself, but video evidence appears to corroborate Vallely’s account. He expressed that, while he suffers from PTSD as a result of his military service, he was shaken by the encounter. Nevertheless, he attempted to focus on safely de-escalating the situation once it escalated.
