Driver Pulls Out Machete In Beltway Scuffle: Police

BOWIE, MD — A Baltimore man is behind bars after he threatened another truck driver Thursday afternoon with a machete during a road-rage argument on the Beltway, say the Maryland State Police. Roderick Jerome Wolfe, 33, is charged with first-degree assault, and was being held at the Prince George’s County Detention Center pending an appearance before a court commissioner, the State Police announced Friday.

The incident occurred in rush-hour traffic, shortly before 5 p.m. Thursday along the side of Interstate 495 near the Branch Avenue exit in Clinton, the State Police said. Wolfe and another driver got into an argument while stuck in traffic and got out of their vehicles.

Wolfe then pulled out a machete and punched the other driver in the face, according to a witness.

The victim found a state trooper and reported the assault, describing Wolfe’s clothing and appearance. "He claimed that after Wolfe punched him, he placed the knife in his coveralls," the State Police said in a statement.

State troopers quickly pulled over Wolfe's truck and took him into custody. They also found that Wolfe's driver’s license is suspended and his vehicle had other violations. The vehicle was towed away and stored. (For more news like this, find your local Patch here. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here.)

Image: Maryland State Police