MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A woman and her five-year-old godson were terrified when a man pointed a handgun at them as they drove down Frayser Boulevard on Sunday.
According to the police report, Alphonso McCracken pointed a handgun at the woman as he drove by her. The woman called 911 and gave the dispatcher a description of the man and his car.
The man was spotted in just a few minutes and was pulled over by police. Officers said the suspect gave officers permission to search his car and that’s when they found a gun in the glove box.
The victim positively identified McCracken as the suspect. He was arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated assault.
While there’s only so much drivers can do when dealing with a road rage incident, experts say there are steps to take to stay safe.
“Try not to make eye contact with them, that’s number one,” said Max Maxwell, executive director of Maxwell Driving School. “Second is, drive to a place like a police station. If you can find one, good luck. Or a fire station, somewhere where there’s a lot of individuals.”
“The best thing you can do is disengage, slow down,” Memphis Police Lt. Louis Brownlee said. “Get yourself out of the area, get a good description of the suspect and call the authorities.”
Whether on the busy city streets or a fast-paced interstate, there are usually multiple witnesses to a road rage incident. Even if you’re not involved, there are still ways to help the victim stay safe and help law enforcement do their job.
“Try to get tag numbers, descriptions of the cars,” Maxwell said. “Call it into the police, and let the police deal with it.”
“Call police,” Brownlee said. “Call 911 if it’s an immediate situation, or you can call the non-emergency number, 545-COPS.”
