A VIRAL video shows the moment a young driver is chased down by an angry cyclist who accused him of getting dangerously close to him on the road.
Pierce Kempton, 22, filmed his tense interaction with a cyclist while driving to a skate park in Park City, Utah, on September 28.
Kempton was on his way to meet a friend when he was confronted by cyclist Gary Peacock, 73, in the skate park parking lot.
The video starts as Kempton attempts to exit his car, telling Peacock, “Dude, literally stop.”
An irate Peacock shouts, “No, I’m calling the police, and you’re not leaving. You’re not leaving.”
Peacock asks Kempton if he saw him on the road, to which the driver responds, “Pulling off to the side, I did. I got it on dashcam.”
Kempton then tells the cyclist he’s going to go skate, which further angers Peacock, “No, you’re not. You’re not going anywhere until the police come,” as he yanks the car door open.
The driver then exits his vehicle as Peacock is on the phone with a police operator, “Yeah, I got a very aggressive teenager here that almost hit me by his car, and now he won’t tell me his last name, and now he’s trying to leave,” Peacock says.
Kempton repeatedly tells Peacock he’s not trying to be aggressive with him, but the cyclist continues to bad mouth him to the police operator on the line.
“He’s recording me because he’s a jerk. And I want you to come and give this guy a ticket, and I’ll be willing to testify in court against this guy,” Peacock added.
At one point during their exchange, Peacock angrily tells Kempton, “I’m riding a bike, I have more rights than you.
“We’ll see if you have any arrests, pal. We’ll see if you have any arrests or any tickets, we’ll see what happens.”
Kempton then reassures Peacock, “I have a clean record,” as the 73-year-old furiously responds, “Yeah, we’ll see. The police are going to check your clean record.”
Sometime later, a police officer arrives at the scene and quickly separates the two.
Park City police eventually issued Kempton and Peacock citations for $130 and $160, respectively, according to radio station KPCW.
CITATION DISMISSED
Kempton fought the $130 ticket and sent a copy of his dashcam video to the Park City District Attorney’s Office, which dismissed the fine on October 11.
“In relation to your citation, I agree with you that the dash cam video you produced after you were cited is exculpatory and I will proceed with dismissal of your citation,” the district attorney said in an email to Kempton.
A portion of Kempton’s dashcam showed the moment the driver steered slightly to the left as he passed Peacock on the road.
“The content of this video informed the prosecutor’s decision to file a motion for dismissal,” a Park City Municipal spokesperson said.
Peacock paid the $160 disorderly conduct fine, and his case was closed.
The cyclist expressed regret about the incident, saying he lost his cool.
“I lost my temper. I didn’t go there with the intention of hitting them or doing anything but just telling him, ‘Hey, you came way too close to me. And I’m upset. I’m angry about it,” Peacock told KPCW.
“And then his reaction just sent me off.
“This guy, unfortunately, was the subject of my wrath because of all these other incidents.”
Kempton told the radio station that Peacock’s aggression is what ultimately escalated the encounter.
“I feel like he could have settled that just by telling me with his words,” Kempton told KPCW.
“I don’t think he needed to be aggressive, and I don’t think he needed to get the law involved.”
What is ‘Road Rage’?
While road rage is often defined by an aggressive reaction to another driver’s actions, it could be dangerous.
The NHTSA says road rage is different from aggressive driving, as it comes down to intention. The agency says many state laws include intent to harm as part of a road rage or reckless driving offense.
“Although some States have passed laws criminalizing aggressive driving, it should not be confused with road rage, which is an intentional assault by a driver or passenger with a motor vehicle or a weapon that occurs on the roadway or is precipitated by an incident on the roadway,” the agency writes.
“Aggressive drivers, as distinct from aggressive driving, often can be identified as those who violate traffic laws repeatedly or whose violations lead to crashes producing serious injury or death.”
Actions that define road rage in many states are behaviors like trying to run another driver off the roadway, using their vehicle to cause another driver to crash, speeding, weaving in and out of traffic lanes, or threatening and/or using a dangerous weapon.
Source: NHTSA
