Acworth Driver Arrested After Alleged Road Rage Incident Escalates

Acworth Detention Facility

Acworth, Ga. – A 21-year-old man is facing a long list of charges after being accused of shooting at a vehicle during a road rage incident.

Cobb County police arrested the young man several days after the incident. But according to their reports, he was driving on County Line Road when he shot at another vehicle. There was a family inside the vehicle including two young children. Thankfully, the bullet struck the vehicle and did not injure any of the passengers or driver.

Along with charges of aggravated assault and unlawful possession of a firearm, the driver is facing felony drug possession charges as well. There is also another offense that fits the driver's alleged conduct that has not been mentioned – aggressive driving.

As a Georgia DUI Lawyer, I am all too familiar with serious traffic violations such as aggressive driving or DUI in Georgia. In today's post, I will cover what the law behind aggressive driving is and what sort of actions constitute the crime.

Aggressive Driving in Georgia

The Georgia Code defines the crime of aggressive driving in Georgia in O.C.G.A. §40-6-397 as:

A person commits the offense of aggressive driving when he or she operates any motor vehicle with the intent to annoy, harass, molest, intimidate, injure, or obstruct another person, including without limitation violating Code Section 40-6-42, 40-6-48, 40-6-49, 40-6-123, 40-6-184, 40-6-312, or 40-6-390 with such intent.

Aggressive driving refers to any sort of selfish, unsafe and risky driving behavior that shows disregard for the safety of other drivers.

If the facts above that have been reported are true, then this was probably the driver's driving behavior toward the other vehicles around him before he pulled the gun. 

Some common examples of aggressive driving behaviors include weaving in and out of traffic, changing lanes without signaling, passing in no-passing zones or emergency lanes, forceful merging, failing to yield, cutting off other drivers at close range, speeding, inappropriate gesturing and hand signals, inappropriate use of horns, flashing headlights, and tailgating.

Aggressive driving is a misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature in Georgia. This means that the offense falls into the middle ground between a misdemeanor and a felony. An aggressive driving conviction can result in up to 12 months of jail time as well as fines up to $5,000.

Practice Note

No one should take traffic violations lightly. And road rage incidents are included in that statement. The reality is that Georgia roads are dangerous and can result in some very serious crimes when these types of incidents escalate.

Then, of course, there are also situations where a person's driving behavior is misunderstood or mischaracterized. This happens often as well. If you have been accused of committing a serious traffic violation, call our offices now. We can help you today.