By Esther Lauaki
A road rage incident at Bacchus Marsh last Sunday left one man with a gunshot wound to his leg and another with lacerations to his face.
The two victims were on their way to visit family in Ballan and had two children in the car, aged three and six.
It is alleged their car was tailgated along the Western Freeway by the driver of a silver 2002 Holden Commodore, who overtook their vehicle and started braking and swerving in front of them in an attempt to run them off the road. It is the latest in a spate of road rage incidents in Melbourne’s west in recent weeks.
Detective Sergeant Warren Chapman of the armed crimes unit, said police were investigating the circumstances of this latest incident, which occurred near Condons Lane at Bacchus Marsh about 4pm.
“The victims followed the driver of the Holden down a dead-end street. The two men and the other driver have stepped out of their cars, where an altercation has occurred and the male driver of the Holden has presented a pistol.
“He’s then allegedly pistol-whipped one of the victims and shot the other in the leg.”
The male aggressor is aged in his late 30s to mid 40s, about 183 centimetres tall, with olive skin and “salt and pepper”-coloured hair.
The two victims were driven by a family member to the Ballan hospital about 5pm before being transferred to the Royal Melbourne Hospital. One of the victims remained in hospital and was in a stable condition at the time
Star Weekly went to print.
Melton’s Acting Senior Sergeant Chris Stuhdreier said that in incidents of aggressive road rage, drivers should never respond with more aggression.
“The best advice is not to get into any confrontation with the other driver,” he said.
“They should drive to the nearest police station or to a safe place where they remove themselves from the situation and call police.
“When two people get emotional, this is when situations like this escalate and get heated,” Sergeant Stuhdreier said.
Witnesses to this incident or anyone with information, should contact Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000 or www.crimestoppers.com.au.
