An apparent road rage incident has turned dangerous in Georgia, where a driver with an infant in his car allegedly unleashed a barrage of gunfire.
As Michael Gabriel was driving to the hospital Wednesday morning, another driver allegedly confirmed that he may have braked. Gabriel said the driver in front of him hit his brakes so hard that he was forced to veer into the outside lane to avoid a collision.
Gabriel then pulled up next to a Ga. 365 Ford Mustang.
‘He didn’t like being flipped,’ said Gabriel Times Originally from Gainesville, Georgia.
The driver again braked Gabriel. The Mustang’s driver then allegedly circled behind Gabriel and fired three shots.
“He’s a little behind me, diagonally,” Gabriel explained.
The bullet pierced his back window, passed through his car seat, and tore his right shoulder.
Gabriel said WSB-TV“There were no warning shots. He was trying to kill me.”
Gabriel took out his smartphone and took a video, capturing the Mustang’s license plate number. However, as he approached the Mustang, nine more gunshots rang out, so he dropped the phone. The suspect reportedly got out of the car and opened fire on Gabriel’s SUV.
During the second shot, a bullet hit Gabriel in the hip.
“If that buck shot had more power, or if it had a slightly different trajectory, if that seat wasn’t—if it wasn’t made exactly the same, it would have destroyed a lot of my organs. Maybe,” said Gabriel. He said. “It could have been game over.”
Gabriel called the police. He was taken to hospital and released later that day.
Gabriel said, “It was God’s earnest hand that kept me alive and where I am today.
But the 65-year-old innocent bystander wasn’t so lucky. According to Lt. Kevin Holbrook of the Gainesville Police Department, Paula Kay Blackwell “was involved in a shootout.” Blackwell was shot in the kidney and was in critical condition as of Thursday, police said.
The video shows Gabriel’s Chevrolet Tahoe riddled with bullet holes.
Gainesville Police arrested 26-year-old Stephen Dallas Cooper. He was charged with aggravated battery, attempted murder, vandalism, reckless conduct and aggravated assault. Cooper is being held in Hall County Jail without bail.
Cooper was carrying a 2-year-old child in the back seat of the car during the alleged shooting, police said.
Gabriel’s advice for future road rage situations is, “This is not worth it. If someone offends you, wave your hand and say a prayer.”
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