Bullet found in headrest after road rage incident, Overland Park police seek suspect
A bullet was found lodged in a driver’s headrest by police investigating a road rage incident Tuesday morning.
Overland Park police are searching for a suspect with limited information from another driver who reported the incident. According to the victim, the incident happened just before 6 a.m. Tuesday on Interstate 435,near U.S. Highway 69.
While traveling west on I-435, the victim attempted to pass a car that was in front of them, traveling at a slower speed. As they attempted to pass, police said, the suspect vehicle swerved into the victim’s vehicle.
The victim told police that as they pulled to the shoulder of the highway, their driver side rear window shattered. Police said they later discovered a bullet in the driver’s headrest.
The suspect vehicle was described as a white four-door sedan. No other information was given about the vehicle and police are seeking witnesses to the incident. According to John Lacy, a spokesman with Overland Park Police, there weren’t many cameras close to the location of Tuesday’s incident.
“We don’t have any leads right now, it’s very limited,” Lacy said. “Right now all we have is the damage from the victim’s vehicle and the bullet.”
Lacy said he has noticed frequent reports of road rage in the area and wants the public to be aware of best practices to deal with angry drivers exhibiting aggressive behavior.
“This is a unique situation that doesn’t happen every day,” Lacy said. “We do have road rage incidents that occur in Overland Park, but not to this scale where someone pulls out a firearm.”
What to do if you see road rage happen
“If there is a situation where someone is trying to get you to be involved in an ongoing dispute on the road, we want you to call 911,” Lacy said.
Lacy said drivers should try to get a make and model of the vehicle, the direction they are traveling and, if safely possible, get a license plate number. Those kinds of information are most helpful for police to follow up on a report, he said.
He also suggested that if someone is following you, drive to a nearby police station or heavily populated area where it is more likely cameras will be outside. If that is not possible, try to get an officer’s attention on the road by honking a horn or flashing lights.
“We don’t want people to try to take the matter into their own hands,” Lacy said. “We want them to contact police.”
Police are asking anyone with information about Tuesday’s incident to contact Overland Park police at 913-890-1374 or the anonymous TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.
