Furious road rage suspect hurls ax into woman's windshield after first 'chasing her off the freeway and blocking her escape'
A furious road rage incident saw a man hurl an ax into another car's windshield after first chasing its driver off the highway and blocking her escape, cops have said.
The 47-year-old suspect was driving a Jeep on the Interstate 5 in the Seattle area on July 27 when he honked at the victim, according to incident reports.
King County deputies say the victim took an exit off the highway in an attempt to avoid confrontation, but the Jeep followed her, passed her vehicle and blocked the road in front of her, Seattle-based Q13 Fox reported.
A furious road rage incident saw a man hurl an ax into another car's windshield after first chasing its driver off the highway and blocking her escape, cops have said
Dashcam video footage of the incident shows the Jeep's driver then getting out of the car and quickly hurling an ax at the victim, which smashes against her windshield as she tries to escape.
The unnamed suspect was then shown driving over the median and fleeing back the way the two cars arrived from.
The incident occurred in Shoreline, about 10 miles north of downtown Seattle, according to King County Sheriff's Office who released the footage.
A few days later, the same suspect was accused of yelling threats and racial slurs at another man in Everett, also in Washington State, on July 29.
Soon after the incident, a theft was reported at a nearby Home Depot store, with police dispatchers noting the suspect was seen getting into a silver Jeep Cherokee.
On July 30, the suspect was taken into custody while sunbathing at a Seattle park, with Kings County officers having identified the suspect using other surveillance video and catching up with him in jail.
Pictured: Still grabs from the dashcam footage - shared by King County Sheriff's Office - showing the suspect getting out of his car, moments before hurling an ax at the victim's windshield
Pictured: The ax is shown mid-air as the driver of the car attempts to put it into reverse to escape the suspect's attack. Reports said the confrontation occurred after the suspect started honking at the suspect as they merged onto Interstate 5 near Seattle
Pictured: The split-second before the ax hit the victim's windshield
He was wanted for Felony Hate Crime, Felony Eluding, and Theft, in addition to an outstanding Felony warrant for First-Degree Robbery outside of King County.
Video, captured on the victim's dashcam, begins as the suspect blocks the road ahead of the victim next to what appears to be a gas station.
The suspect is shown getting out of the vehicle on the driver's side, and as the victim attempts to put the car into reverse, the man quickly hurls the ax in her direction.
The video shows the ax flying through the air and smashing into the victim's windshield. It glances off, but visibly sends shock-waves through the car as it collides with the glass, sending dust flying into the air.
As the victim continues to try and drive away from the scene, the shirtless suspect is shown getting back into his car without retrieving the ax. He then drives across the road's median and back in the opposite direction.
Pictured: The ax glances off the windshield, but visibly sends shock-waves through the car as it collides with the glass, sending dust and other particles flying into the air
As the victim continues to try and drive away from the scene, the shirtless suspect is shown getting back into his car without retrieving the ax. He then drives across the road's median and back in the opposite direction
Pictured: The statement released by King County Sheriff's Office, along with the video of the road rage incident
'This video nearly says it all,' King County Sheriff's Office said in a post on Facebook on Tuesday, sharing the video.
'The driver of this Jeep, according to incident reports, began honking at the victim as they merged onto the NE 145th St I-5 on-ramp.
'As they traveled northbound. the Jeep's driver continued to honk so our victim took the Ballinger Way exit to avoid a freeway confrontation,' the post said.
'Only moments later the Jeep passes him, blocks the roadway and the driver hurls a hammer before fleeing.' The 'hammer' later transpired to be an ax.
'Using additional surveillance, King County detectives identified the Jeep's driver. They learned that only three days after this incident he was apprehended for multiple felonies after fleeing from deputies in Snohomish County,' the officials said.
'It's easy to find - and charge - a suspect when they are already jail. Charges are pending in Shoreline, but once filed our hammer-thrower should be off our roads for some time,' the post added.
The Sheriff's Office then advised anyone involved in a road rage incident to try and drive to the nearest police or fire station for their protection.