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Violent road rage incident leaves Austin man's car riddled with bullets


A road rage incident on I-35 turned violent when someone in a car fired shots at another vehicle on Sunday. (CBS Austin)
A road rage incident on I-35 turned violent when someone in a car fired shots at another vehicle on Sunday. (CBS Austin)
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Orion Keeter says he and his girlfriend were driving northbound on I-35 on Sunday, headed to Pflugerville for lunch with his family, when a dark gray Toyota Corolla almost clipped him. He says he honked, but the people in the Corolla took it a step further.

"I looked over and the passenger was holding a silver firearm out of the vehicle and fired three shots at that point, causing me to slam on the brakes, and at that point, I was just like, 'Wow, what the heck?'" said Keeter.

Keeter says his girlfriend was doing her makeup in the passenger seat when the first shot shattered the window, "throwing glass, everywhere," said Keeter. "The second bullet came through here on the car, and what it did was it busted out the door handle, along with several components of it, and so, we believe that that is what stopped the bullet from continuing on through."

Aside from a few cuts and bruises, Keeter says he and his girlfriend were just grateful to walk away alive. He says he hopes the Austin Police Department is able to find these men with the information they were able to provide.

"I'll never forget that face, as long as I live," said Keeter. "Looking over and seeing that, and then looking up and seeing the firearm -- I've got his face, forever."

Austin Police said there were 45 reported road rage incidents resulting in nine arrests from January to June of 2019.

Most of the arrests involved a firearm.

"You can't pull a gun on people for cutting you off, for break checking you, for giving you an unkind gesture on the road," said APD Det. Robert Snider back in June of 2019.

A 2016 study from AAA Foundation found that nearly 80 percent of drivers showed some sort of aggression behind the wheel. And 51 percent of people said they tailgate on purpose.

Ed Scruggs of Texas Gun Sense said he knows of multiple people who say they've been shown guns at stop lights or on the road. "Someone cuts someone off and they just show them the firearm," said Scruggs.

Scruggs points out Texas law doesn't require a person to have a handgun license to carry a loaded handgun in a car. "Maybe it's just a sign of the times but people are on edge out there and they're impulsive and it's leading to more firearm incidents," said Scruggs.

Austin Police say victims of road rage should call 911 immediately and stay on the phone until someone arrives, get a vehicle description and if possible a license plate as well.

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