Road rage: Photographer and client threatened by pickup truck-driving lunatic on a public road

 

 

Photographer Alex Stone was doing an automotive shoot in the rural California town of Ramona and encountered a disgruntled resident. The man repeatedly claimed that Stone and his team were in his driveway, despite their in fact being on a public road.

Rather than try to talk it out, the man became belligerent and attempted to use his large vehicle as a weapon, nearly running over multiple people and expensive equipment. He also deliberately smacked Stone's phone from his hand, shattering its screen as it hit the ground. You can see the full series of events in the video below, but needless to say, this guy was out of control. Stone says in the video's description on YouTube that the police are rightly suspicious of the angry man's sobriety during the incident.

When you're on public property, you don't expect to have an incident like this, but it goes to show that you just never know what's going to happen out there. Fortunately, nobody was injured. This situation could've ended much worse if not for Alex's calm demeanor. Of course, one could make the point that Stone and his crew also shouldn't have been blocking a public road for their shoot, but even if so, that doesn't begin to excuse such potentially life-threatening behavior.

NSFW Warning: There is extremely non work-safe language in the video below.

When not being threatened and harassed in the desert, Alex Stone captures fashion, portrait and automotive images. You can see his work at his website and on Instagram.

In case you're wondering if the police have followed up on the incident, they have. According to DIY Photography, the man in the video above is 52-year old Mark Gordon and he has been charged with misdemeanor battery and vandalism and a felony count of assault with a deadly weapon. The felony charge comes up with a potential punishment of up to four years of prison time and is one of the violations in California's "three strikes" law, so depending on Mr. Gordon's prior run-ins with the law he could face a more severe punishment. 

(Seen via Fstoppers)