Road rage suspect wielded a baseball bat near Blind River; B.C. driver charged

OPP cruiser file image.

Sudbury — A 42-year-old suspect from Penticton, B.C., has been charged following a road rage incident Jan. 22 that involved a baseball bat.

Ontario Provincial Police in Espanola were called at around 9:45 a.m. about "an erratic driving complaint that occurred on Highway 17 within the Township of the North Shore."

Police said in a news release Monday the incident was triggered when one driver travelling eastbound on Highway 17 passed a pickup truck. The angry pickup driver then began tailgating the vehicle that just passed them.

"A short time later the pickup truck driver parked in the middle of the highway and both drivers exited their vehicles," police said.

"The pickup truck driver had a baseball bat in hand walked aggressively towards the complainant. The driver was swinging the bat and banging it on the ground while approaching the complainant."

Police arrested the pickup driver at 11 a.m. in a restaurant parking lot at the junction of Highways 17 and 6. It turns out the driver was currently on previous release conditions.

The suspect from British Columbia is now charged with assault with a weapon and failing to comply with a probation order. A March 3 court date has been set in the Ontario Court of Justice in Elliot Lake on March 3.