Chauffeur strikes window after road rage incident on 405 Fwy, LAPD says

ByABC7.com staff KABC logo

Thursday, April 7, 2016

Chauffeur strikes window after road rage incident on 405 Fwy, LAPD says

Los Angeles police are investigating a road rage incident that was caught on camera in Van Nuys.

VAN NUYS, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Los Angeles police were investigating a road rage incident caught on camera in Van Nuys.

Authorities stated the incident began Tuesday afternoon on the 405 Freeway.

Shahnam Asbaghi said a chauffeur working for L.A. Private Car Service struck his car window with a heavy bar following an earlier dispute.

"I was terrified to be honest. I was scared. I had no idea what he was pulling out," Asbaghi said. "All I was praying was God just let me hit the buttons (on my phone) correctly so I'm recording this because I was really shaken."

Asbaghi, 41, said the chauffeur was tailgating him on the 405 and then followed him off the freeway.

He stated the driver then intentionally rear-ended his car.

"I had nowhere else to go. I had a red light in front of me so I was stopped. I was stopped and that's when he rolled up and actually rammed me with his car," Asbaghi recalled.

Asbaghi said he then followed the SUV as it took off and that's when the driver got out and struck his vehicle. Asbaghi said he was lucky his car window didn't break.

"He swung as hard as he could," Asbaghi said. "I mean afterwards his body shook from the impact, so I don't know why it didn't break, but thank God it didn't break."

What triggered the attack is unclear, as police said the stories of the chauffeur and Asbaghi were conflicting.

A report for assault with a deadly weapon was filed, however, police said multiple arrests were possible in connection with the incident.

Asbaghi stated he planned to file a civil lawsuit against the driver and the company.

In a statement to ABC7, L.A. Private Car Service said the driver was fired: "We have looked into this troubling incident, and although we have not concluded our investigation into this matter, the driver has been fired. We take the safety of our clients and fellow commuters we share the road with very seriously, and want to move on from this incident and work on renewing our reputation in the community we serve."