In a case of escalating road rage, a man who chased down another on a Park County road Sunday then advanced on the other driver with a baseball bat got himself shot in the leg.
The Park County Sheriff’s Office released a report on the incident Tuesday, providing few details about an alleged early morning vehicle chase that ended badly for a man who apparently had enough of a problem with another driver to chase him until he stopped.
Neither driver is identified in the report, nor would the sheriff’s office confirm if any arrests or tickets resulted from the incident.
“This is an active investigation and no further information will be released at this time,” the SO reports.
What We Know
The drama began at 4:58 a.m. with the Park County Sheriff’s Office communications center fielded a 911 call from a man saying he had just shot another man in the leg, and that the hurt man had fled the scene, according to the PCSO report.
The caller already had an active protection order in place against the man who had been shot, but the reason for that wasn’t mentioned in the report. The caller said he had previously armed himself because of an ongoing concern over the other man.
The incident began while the caller was driving home and noticed “he was being followed closely by a vehicle on the county road as he approached his house,” the sheriff’s office report says. “Not wanting a confrontation at his nearby residence with children home, the caller pulled over to see who was following him.”
That’s when the other man got out of his car with a baseball bat and advanced on the caller, the report says. He went as far as grabbing the collar of the other man’s shirt and “began to swing the bat to strike him,” the report says.
It’s unclear whether the caller had also exited his vehicle or was still inside it when he was allegedly grabbed and swung on.
That’s when the caller told investigators that he discharged his firearm, “striking the man in the lower leg above the ankle, causing the injured man to flee the scene,” according to the report.
Another 911 Call
But that wasn’t the end of the story, because the sheriff’s office got a second 911 call at 5:56 a.m. from a local resident saying a man with a gunshot wound had shown up at his home and needed an ambulance.
Deputies and responders from Powell Valley Healthcare responded and transported the gunshot victim to the local hospital, and from there he was taken to Billings for further medical treatment, according to the sheriff’s office report.
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
