A road rage incident in Slidell led to the arrest of a 71-year-old man accused of shooting another driver who had intentionally stopped his SUV in front of the gunman’s car Wednesday afternoon (June 26), police said.
Benjamin Talton, of Slidell, was booked with aggravated battery and aggravated assault with a firearm in the incident that left Matthew Ledet, 45, also of Slidell, hospitalized with non life threatening injuries, the Slidell Police Department reported in a news release.
Shortly before 2 p.m., police responded to a shooting on Tyler Drive near the Gause Boulevard intersection that stemmed from a road rage incident involving the two Slidell men.
Police said Ledet intentionally stopped his Honda Pilot SUV on Tyler Drive in front of Talton’s Honda Ridgeline truck. Ledet then got out of his vehicle and “forcefully” struck the hood of Talton’s truck, leaving a dent, police said.
As Ledet got back into his Pilot, Talton exited his truck with a gun and confronted Ledet. At some point in the encounter, Talton fired one shot from his pistol, striking Ledet in the arm, according to the news release.
The two men retreated to a nearby Chevron gas station where they both waited for police to arrive. Ledet was transported to University Hospital. Upon his release, police said Ledet will face charges of disturbing the peace, criminal damage and obstruction of public passage.
Police Chief Randy Fandal said citizens who encounter angry and aggressive drivers should call 911 rather than engaging in a confrontation.
“This is a very unfortunate incident and it could have been completely avoided,” Fandal said. “I urge all drivers to ignore the temptation of engaging in a road rage incident. All too often, these types of incidents can turn deadly. It’s not worth it.”
via nola.comhttps://www.nola.com
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