Crime & Safety

Perceived Slight Leads to Angry Confrontation in Church Parking Lot

News Nearby: Incident occurred on Hog Mountain Road near Mulberry Park in Dacula.

A Buford man claims he was intentionally struck by the driver of another vehicle after a June 1 incident on Hog Mountain Road.

The Buford man said he was traveling on Hog Mountain behind a truck. According to the Buford man, the driver of the truck stopped suddenly at the stop sign at the intersection of Hog Mountain Road and Pine Road as if he were trying to make the Buford man crash his vehicle into the rear of the truck.

"[The Buford man] explained that the driver ahead of him must have thought he was following him too close and tried to mess with him when they got to the stop sign," the officer wrote in the report.

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The Buford man further explained that he felt he was a safe distance behind the other vehicle, but "could not speak for what the other driver might have thought about his driving."

At that point, the Buford man's fiancee reportedly noticed the other driver say something. The Buford man admitted he didn't see anything, but "felt offended that the other driver said something."

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The Buford man, according to the report, became angry and began to "give the driver the finger multiple times and ways."

At that point, the Buford man's fiancee reportedly noticed the other driver say something. The Buford man admitted he didn't see anything, but "felt offended that the other driver said something."

The Buford man, according to the report, became angry and began to "give the driver the finger multiple times and ways."

At that point, the other driver turned onto Pine Road and stopped in the parking lot of Hamilton Mill United Methodist Church.

"Not going to take anything from this other guy, [the Buford man] jumped out of his car and went towards the man in the truck," the report stated.

During a profanity-laced line of questioning, the Buford man said he attempted to determine what the issue was. The Buford man then said the driver of the truck took out a gun and placed it on his dashboard.

"[The Buford man] said this discouraged him in no way and continued to argue with the suspect," the officer noted.

As the verbal disagreement escalated, the Buford man claimed it appeared as if the truck driver planned to run him over as he stood in front of the truck. To this perceived threat, the Buford man reportedly responded, "Go ahead, are you going to try and hit me?"

The Buford man said his fiancee wanted to leave, but he "continued the verbal assault towards the suspect to see what he was going to do."

According to the Buford man, the truck driver gunned his engine and "intentionally" hit him on the arm with the truck mirror. The Buford man called police and the driver of the truck stopped when he saw him doing so. The driver of the truck attempted to apologize, but the Buford man allegedly refused his apology saying he needed to apologize to his fiancee for whatever he said to her.

The driver of the truck maintained he had not said anything to the woman and didn't need to apologize to her.

"[The Buford man] remained furious that he could not get an apology for his fiancee and said he was calling the police to report the suspect hitting him with his truck," the officer wrote in the incident report. "[The Buford man] said the suspect drove off when he saw him call the police the second time. [The Buford man] also had to leave because his fiancee was going to leave him there because of what was going on."

The fiancee corroborated the Buford man's account of the incident. When asked what he wanted the police to do, the Buford man reportedly indicated he did not think it was right for the suspect to hit him and leave.

Using the tag number provided by the Buford man, the officer contacted the driver of the truck. The driver said he had been waiting for police to contact him.Β 

The driver said the Buford man had been tailgating him. When the driver stopped at the intersection of Hog Mountain and Pine Road, he thought the Buford man was going to hit him. The driver pulled up and said he "mouthed" to the driver to "Get off my a**."

"The female in the car saw this and the next thing he knew the driver was 'flipping' him off and jumping around in the car like he was angry with him," the report stated.

The officer further explained the driver was "pulling away as this happened and when he saw these actions by the male it provoked such violent resentment with him he was compelled to take action against the male."

The driver admitted the two argued in the church parking lot and that he had struck the male with the mirror of his truck. The driver said he tried to apologize, but that it became apparent there would be no resolution of the matter.

According to the driver, the Buford man was also arguing with his fiancee and "pushing her around."

"Upon interviewing both parties about this incident, it was clear that both parties instigated the altercation," the officer concluded.Β 

No arrests were made.

~ Dacula Patch


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