Woman followed on I-75, threatened with gun in disturbing Metro Detroit road rage incident

TROY, Mich. – A woman told Troy police she was followed for miles Tuesday on northbound I-75 by an enraged driver who ended up pointing a handgun at her when she exited the interstate at Rochester Road. 

It started in Hazel Park. She was driving northbound on I-75 about 4:10 p.m. when suddenly a black Chevrolet Cruze pulled in front of her. She said the driver of the Cruze started flipping her off for no apparent reason. She attempted to change lanes several times but he would not allow her, police said.

As she exited the interstate at Rochester Road and stopped in rush-hour traffic, the other driver slowed down his vehicle in the right through-lane and had his passenger window rolled down as he was yelling at her, according to the police report. She looked over toward him and saw he was pointing a silver or gray handgun at her. Then he drove away northbound on Interstate 75. 

Police offered a vague description of the man:

• White male
• About 21 to 23 years of age. 

Anyone with information on this incident needs to contact police. 

RELATED:

• Road rage driver slaps, spits at driver who made crying gesture at him after slow turn in Troy
• Michigan teen's road rage beating is cautionary tale; 'I flipped him off'
• Sheriff warns about rise of road-rage incidents

Sheriff warns road rage incidents on the rise

The number of people reporting incidents of road rage on Metro Detroit roads is increasing, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said earlier this month. 

"Everyone has such a short fuse," he said. "I've pulled over a lot of people after they've cut somebody else off and they had no idea the police were there."

Bouchard said the anger usually has nothing to do with the traffic but the aggressor takes it out on the other driver anyway. 

"There are a lot of people who have short fuses, and they may have a tire iron, they may have a weapon illegally, they may have one legally. None of that matters: If they have a weapon they are going to come after you because they felt you were in their spot on the road," said the sheriff. 

Many incidents are random. However, Bouchard said sometimes it starts on social media. 

"That's even transferring into road rage, when they say something on social media and then they look for each other, and they have battles," he said. 

The sheriff said the best thing to do if you're caught up in a road rage incident is to disengage the other driver and have patience. If you're being followed you should look for a fire station or a police station for safety. 

2016 study: More than 1/2 of crashes involve aggressive driving

Nearly 8 of every 10 U.S. drivers admit expressing anger, aggression or road rage at least once in the previous year, according to a survey released in July 2016 by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

AAA said 56 percent of deadly crashes involve a form of aggressive driving, which could include following too closely, yelling at another driver, cutting them off or making angry gestures.

RELATED: Road rage study hits close to home for Michigan woman who lost husband

Men ages 19-35 are the most aggressive drivers on the road, according to the AAA study. Tailgating and gesturing can lead to deadly crashes, which have been increasing in recent years. 

Sign up for ClickOnDetroit breaking news alerts and email newsletters