https://wpde.com/news/local/boxed-in...s-of-road-rage
Probably tooted...….
Boxed in and beat up: Horry Co. couple says they were victims of road rage
HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WPDE) — Jennifer M. and her husband didn't expect their journey down Highway 22 Saturday to become a seven-mile journey that would spiral out of control.
"I've never been through anything like this before," she said, blinking her bruised left eye.
That night, she recalled, she and her husband were entering Highway 22 from Highway 90 at the same time as a group of "squatted" pickup trucks. The trucks had the right of way.
Jennifer said her husband beeped his horn to let them know they could go.
The drivers, evidently, believed that beep meant something else.
"They tried to box us in, run us off the road," she said. "They had the windows rolled down, holding middle fingers out yelling all kinds of stuff."
The husband and wife's luck turned south when they exited onto Highway 17. With more traffic and lower speeds, the trucks forced Jennifer's car to stop.
Jennifer said eight younger men exited the trucks and dragged her husband from their car, placing him into a chokehold before slamming him to the ground. She said the mob repeatedly kicked and struck his head.
She also was hit when she tried to come to his aid.
"It was at least five minutes and they were trying to stomp his head," she said, "They were kicking, they were punching, they were doing everything they could to hurt him."
Patrons from a nearby restaurant, EMS and firefighting crews came to their assistance, pulling them to safety. She said police arrived after and arrested three of the perpetrators.
According to jail records, Camden Greene, 18, of Hickory, NC, Dalton McCloud, 21, of Connley Springs, NC, and Noah Gerrish, 21, of Hickory, NC were all charged with third-degree assault and released on $5,000 bonds.
Officials said the charges, and the number of suspects, are subject to change and the case is ongoing. Jennifer said she provided the department with Facebook comments made by another one of the attackers after the incident who had not been arrested.
Her husband is still in the hospital recovering. Jennifer said she is worried about the lingering effects of this attack. Her husband is a veteran who was already dealing with PTSD.
"We're not young, but we're not old either," she said. "Had it been an older couple, this kind of behavior could've killed them."
Third-degree assault charges carry a maximum sentence of one year in prison. If the charges are upgraded to second-degree assault, a felony charge which requires "serious" injuries to the victim, the sentence could be as long as 25 years.
Bookmarks