Alexandria Road-Rage Shooting Suspect Pleads Self-Defense: Report

ALEXANDRIA, VA — A Maryland man accused of shooting a woman during a road rage incident last summer in Alexandria is pleading self-defense, according to a media report. Ernest Stickell, 59, is on trial this week at the Alexandria courthouse on charges stemming from the July 19 incident that began on the Beltway, WRC-TV Channel 4 reported.

On July 19, authorities allege that Stickell, driving a white van, twice cut off an SUV driven by Dejonte Holt, of Bladensburg, Md. Holt was driving her boyfriend, Ricardo Jennings, to work.

Both vehicles exited the Beltway onto the Eisenhower Connector, where the couple stopped and got out of their vehicle to confront Stickell. Jennings testified in court Wednesday that Stickell called him the N-word, pulled a gun and opened fire, striking Holt in the neck and shoulder, according to NBC4.

Stickell fired two more shots and then drove off, Jennings testified. Holt eventually recovered from her injuries, but bears emotional scars, NBC4 reported.

Stickell's defense lawyer told the jury that he had no idea why the couple confronted him and that he opened fire out of fear. The jury has heard from several other witnesses to the shooting, and Stickell is expected to testify in his own defense, NBC4 reported.

Image: Patch