EAST DEER TOWNSHIP, Pa. – A man was arrested last week for allegedly choking the driver of a vehicle he was riding in because he wouldn't stop singing Christmas songs.
Clayton Lucas, 25, is charged with aggravated assault and other offenses over the March 4 incident.
Recommended Videos
Authorities said it was about 9 a.m. when a state trooper was waved down about a possible medical emergency on the side of an interstate. The trooper arrived at the scene to find a Chrysler Town and Country minivan parked on the shoulder and two men on the other side of the guard rail.
The victim said he was driving when Lucas reached around his seat and began choking him, according to a criminal complaint obtained by KDKA. The victim told the trooper that he was singing Christmas songs, and Lucas tried to choke him to make him stop.
The victim said he nearly passed out, according to the complaint. The trooper noticed that the victim's neck was red and his eyes were bloodshot.
The trooper said that Lucas resisted being handcuffed, and he had to sweep the man's legs out from under him to gain control.
The victim had been transporting Lucas from a halfway house to a treatment class, WTAE reports.
Lucas was booked into the Allegheny County Jail. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.