A man, his wife and his sister-in-law had left a Texas zoo and were on their way to get food when they were struck in a fit of road rage, according to court records.
The 29-year-old husband said he was driving his vehicle, a black Mercedes, when another driver trying to change lanes “came close” to hitting him on April 11, the Houston Police Department said in a criminal complaint filed May 3.
The husband honked his horn to alert the driver in a black Nissan Sentra, police said.
The other man then pulled up next to the Mercedes and flashed his middle finger, according to the report.
“(The Nissan driver) then aggressively pulled ahead and intentionally veered his vehicle into (the Mercedes) as he cut him off,” police said. The husband and his family were then forced over a curb and crashed into a tree.
As the suspect drove away, the husband said he began following him, according to the report. He said the suspect ran a red light to escape.
Meanwhile, the wife called 911 and the sister-in-law recorded video of the other driver, police said. Investigators have reviewed the video, which shows the Nissan fleeing and running a red light.
All three family members in the vehicle reported they feared for their lives during the incident, police said, and want the other driver to be prosecuted.
The suspect, from Houston, faces a felony charge of aggravated assault.