‘Terrifying’: 18-year-old Calgary road rage victim speaks about violent attack

An 18-year-old Calgary man and his family are pleading for answers after the teen was violently attacked during a road rage incident earlier this month.

An 18-year-old Calgary man is recovering from serious injuries after he was attacked by two strangers during a road rage incident earlier this month – all while learning how to parallel park with his mother.

Surveillance video obtained by CTV News shows two men exiting a white pickup truck and approaching an SUV before repeatedly striking the teen.

One of the suspects appeared to use a weapon, kicking the victim while he was on the ground.

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The pair then fled the scene in the truck.

CTV News is not identifying the victim or his parents due to safety concerns, as the suspects involved have not yet been arrested.

“It was terrifying. Probably one of the scariest things I’ve ever experienced in my entire life,” the victim said.

The assault happened around 9:30 p.m. on July 15 in the 6100 block of Fourth Avenue N.E.

The young man says he was driving with his mother and began attempting to practice parallel parking ahead of a driving test, when a white pickup truck began tailgating them.

“I threw my blinker on early, and he was pretty much right up on me,” he said. “I flipped him off, and then they spun back, pulled a U-turn and these two guys hopped out.”

“The one guy came over to my mom’s door, tried opening it and banged on the glass. I opened my door, and I get one foot out, and that’s where my memory goes blank.”

His mother says she watched in horror as the attack unfolded.

“My son’s getting pounded on. I get in between them; I push the one guy off and start screaming at him – that’s when they get one last boot in, and they take off.”

“I never want to relive anything like that ever again. My first thought was, ‘I don’t care if you hurt me or vandalize this vehicle, just get off my son, you’re hurting him.’”

The victim was rushed to hospital by ambulance with multiple injuries.

“I got nine stitches in the top of my head, almost my entire rib cage on the left side is bruised and my spleen is enlarged,” he said. “These guys hit my humerus bone so hard that It looked like I had a Popeye arm — like, no joke, it was massive.”

His father, who ran outside after hearing screaming, said he arrived just after the suspects fled.

“I missed it by one minute,” he said. “Blood was everywhere.”

“My son ended up getting hit in the head a couple of times with what looks to be some sort of a [crowbar], and they really bruised up his ribs.”

“You can see this guy clear as day on the video too, rummaging through the back seat of his truck to grab something, and he’s walking with a purpose towards the vehicle,” he said. “It infuriates me to see something like that.”

The suspects drove off in what police describe as a 1999 to 2007 white Chevrolet Silverado with an object extending out of the box.

Investigators believe there may have been additional witnesses in a white Ford Fusion that was nearby at the time of the attack, and may have filmed the altercation.

One suspect is described as standing between 5’8” and 6’ tall (173 to 183 centimetres), wearing a navy T-shirt and black pants. He may have been wearing a face mask.

The second suspect is also between 5’8” and 6’ (173 to 183 cm), with short, dark hair and possible facial hair. He was wearing a black hat, a white T-shirt and black pants.

“I’m obsessed now with looking at white trucks because this is just haunting me,” the victim’s mother said. “Justice needs to be served.”

Police are reminding drivers not to escalate confrontations behind the wheel.

“To avoid getting into road rage incidents, we recommend that you don’t get into any verbal confrontations,” Calgary police said in a statement to CTV News.

“Do not use obscene hand gestures or wave any objects. If you feel threatened, drive to a populated area or police station, and call 911.”

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call Calgary police at 403-266-1234 or submit a tip anonymously through Crime Stoppers.