Five adults and one juvenile were arrested after a road rage incident in Pentagon City on Sunday.
The incident started at around 4:00 p.m. near Costco. Police say two cars were turning left on 15th Street S. from S. Fern Street when, for some unknown reason, tempers flared and horns started beeping. The two vehicles, a 2008 Chevrolet Impala and a 2004 Mercedes-Benz S450, made the turn and pulled to the side of the 500 block of 15th Street S.
A 16-year-old juvenile and an adult got out of the Impala and started arguing with a man who got out of the Mercedes, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. The juvenile punched the Mercedes driver in the face, then both parties returned to the Impala, he said.
Before the they could drive off, the Mercedes driver pulled a wooden 2×4 post from the ground and smashed the back window of the Impala, Sternbeck said. At that time all five occupants of the Impala jumped out of the car and allegedly assailed the Mercedes driver.
They punched the man, dragged him to the sidewalk, struck him with the 2×4 multiple times, smashed the front windshield of his car, and then dragged him into some bushes, according to Sternbeck. The victim reportedly suffered severe cuts to his hands, requiring stitches; a fractured right elbow; bruising to his upper body, including his arms and face; and large welt on top of his head.
During the fracas, a neighbor came out and tried to break up the fight. The neighbor’s efforts were rebuffed and he or she maintained a safe distance from the fight due to fear, Sternbeck said.
The four adults in the Impala — Lavell Jeffries, Bernard Payton, Larry Johnson and Jeremiah Greer, all from D.C. and between the ages of 18 and 19 — were charged with malicious wounding by mob and held on a $2,000 bond. The juvenile was charged with malicious wounding by mob and destruction of property, and was released into the custody of his mother.
The driver of the Mercedes, 34-year-old Maurice Cox of Arlington, was charged with DUI and destruction of property.
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