Road rage incidents, shootings increasing in western Washington

WASHINGTON, United States — Road rage incidents have been on the rise in Western Washington over the past few years.

On Friday, a nine-year-old boy was shot in Renton and less than a month ago a 24-year-old woman was shot dead in a street scuffle in Skykomish.

Law enforcement officials in many western Washington counties are seeing motorists becoming more aggressive.

“We have seen a lot of erratic behavior on our roads,” said Sergeant Darren Moss Jr., Public Information Officer for the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office.

Sometimes aggression can evolve into violence, he said.

Sergeant Moss said: ‘We’ve seen a few cases where people pulled a gun at someone or pointed a gun at someone through their window.

In Pierce County, he said, they’ve seen an increase in street shootings, but not street shootings.

In King County, there have been numerous incidents of gun-related street violence over the past few years. According to the Washington State Patrol, King County street shootings have increased the least since 2017. 2021 is the year with the highest total for that time period.

So far this year in King County, there have been 230 street swings and 193 actual shootings.

Sergeant Moss said it was important not to react or escalate the situation.

“You don’t know what they’re going to get out of the car,” Moss said. “Did they get out of the car with a bad attitude and want to fight you? Or do they go out with weapons, like baseball bats, hammers or guns?”

Ultimately, he says it’s important to realize that being angry at what’s happening on the road isn’t worth hurting anyone else or risking your own life.

“What’s most important?” Moss said. “True is more important or is safety more important?”

This trend is being seen across the country. According to Everytown for Gun Safety, 2021 is a record-setting year for road shootings in the United States, with more than 500 people being shot.

Sergeant Moss said if someone is aggressive towards you on the road, just get into another lane, slow down and let them pass. If they continue to follow you, he recommends you call 911 and start driving towards the police station.