On Sunday, July 13th, in the late afternoon, Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office Deputies responded to a road rage incident off Willow Point Dr. in Cornville.
It was reported that a male driver fired a gun out of the window of his car. Deputies located the vehicle shortly after the report, partly because of the description of the SpongeBob character hanging from the rearview mirror. After conducting a traffic stop, the suspect and driver, 26-year-old Anthony Sanchez Jr from Phoenix, was arrested for weapons misconduct, aggravated assault, and DUI.
Deputies learned that Sanchez tried to run another driver off the road, pointed a gun at them, then fired rounds into the asphalt.
The bottom line: Road rage in Arizona remains a serious issue. YCSO takes these calls seriously. Deputies responded to this situation immediately; thankfully, no one was hurt.
Please avoid getting involved in road rage incidents. Some useful points include:
- When on a highway, stay to the right and use the left lane for passing.
- Don’t speed up to keep another vehicle from passing you.
- Don’t try to control other drivers or their speed by staying in the left lane of a multi-lane highway.
- Allow at least 3 seconds to follow the distance behind the vehicle in front of you. To check your following distance, wait until the vehicle ahead passes a fixed point like a sign or a tree and count one-one-thousand, two-one-thousand, three-one-thousand. Ensure that at least time passes before your vehicle comes to the same fixed point.
- When you are passing other vehicles or being passed, avoid eye contact or staring at another driver. Obscene gestures and aggressive use of the horn are other common precursors to road rage.
- Make sure you leave early so you have plenty of time to drive safely.
- Stay calm, cool, and collected. Driving is not a contest. Avoid getting angry, consider putting on some music, but stay focused on driving safely.
- If you believe another driver is following you or is trying to start a fight, do not get out of your car; call 911.
P.S. Deputies did not disclose whether the car smelled like a pineapple under the sea.
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