Accused of chainsaw road rage
MON T RE AL • A man caught on video threatening a family in their car with a chainsaw in what police call a road-rage incident will face charges of armed aggression Tuesday morning in a courtroom in StJérôme, Que.
The video of the man pointing his running chainsaw at the car while two children inside scream was posted on Facebook by the children’s mother on Monday.
The accused, a 37-year-old with no prior record, was arrested at his residence on Monday at 3 p.m. He was to be held in custody until his court appearance, St-Jérôme police spokesman Robin Pouliot said.
The incident occurred at 7 p.m. on Sunday when Alexandre Hermenier and his partner, Karine Cyr, visiting Saint-Sauveur for a family holiday, say they were cut off by the driver of a minivan in St-Jérôme, a Montreal suburb.
Mr. Hermenier told TVA News the driver was so aggressive, he decided to follow him and contact the police. There was an infant in the back of the minivan, Mr. Hermenier said.
They followed for a few minutes until the driver pulled into a dead end, at which point Mr. Hermenier cut off the exit route and started calling the police.
The driver of the minivan got out of his vehicle, took a chainsaw out of the back, started it up and headed toward the family’s car, Mr. Hermenier said. He said the man started gesticulating toward the minivan, the chainsaw’s blade inches from the car window, yelling “You like that, hey?”
Ms. Cyr, who was recording the incident on her phone, responds: “We called the police, buddy, OK? You’re going to be arrested. OK, your chainsaw. Come on. Come on.”
Mr. Hermenier allowed the driver to go past him but continued to follow him, until the 911 operator convinced him to desist. He went to a police station to file a complaint of road rage that degenerated into armed aggression, Officer Pouliot said.
In an interview later with TVA Nouvelles, Mr. Hermenier said he acted impulsively and should never have pursued the driver.
“I said to myself: ‘I absolutely have to follow him, he has to be arrested,’ ” Mr. Hermenier said. “It wasn’t the most intelligent move. I should have left it to police, but I was driven by my emotions.”
Officer Pouliot said an investigation is underway. The prosecutor’s office will decide if more charges should be laid.