There must be more of a story here -- why did the victim get out of his car and cross a divided road to wave and yell at Potts???

That being said, the victim definitely seemed to suffering from "testosterone poisoning" as my wife commented. Not necessarily an uncommon condition on LI...

watch the video on the newspaper site

I met the deceased a few times. Cant say I knew him..

He appeared to be humble and laid back... was really into getting his SC back into as new condition... His SC sat for a number of years..

I can't imagine what happened between these two drivers that resulted in one of them being killed.

I did. It still doesn't answer the question for me.

Answered it for me. Did you really watch it?

Because he cut him off or because taunted him??? Come-on -- what is this? 2nd grade recess???!!!

This whole event had numerous points when the whole altercation could have been side-stepped.

1) The objective to driving on the street is not to pass the most cars, but to safely get to where you want to go. If someone cuts you off, you let him go. It's not safe driving around jerks like that.

2) Because Potts turned around and returned? Yes, it would have been better if he had just continued around the block and on to his destination.

3) Because they gestured at each other and called each other names? Was the big guy that insecure that he really cared with a kid calls him? Like I said, this isn't recess that we're talking about.

Both of these guys made some pretty stupid decisions. 22 year old guys are often not the most mature thinkers. But given that the victim was quite a bit bigger, and more importantly older and I would hope more responsible then Potts, he really should have known better. Was he that insecure? At the end of the day, if a 6'3" guy who's built like a linebacker is bearing down on me, threatening me and wailing on my car (is that combination of actions assault??), I might try to make a break for it too. But the whole event should have been defused long before then.

Like my wife said -- Testosterone poisoning.

I'm guessing the charges will be reduced to manslaughter and the guy will get paroled. It usually takes two to tango in these situations.

snipe no way this kids life will be normal again.

what a shame on both parts.

He dis-respected him.

Several points that come to mind:

1- Altimas often try to race me or cut me while I drive my 78SC, wonder why that is. My guess is 235hp+ car that is affordable = not always mature drivers inside. Though that one was rented.

2- The old guy was stupid to try to block the car with his body. That is like trying to stop someone who is pointing a gun at you.

3- The young guy seems to have acted in self-defense. Unfortunately, his weapon was a deadly one.

4- Note to self: never provoke road rage incidents, even if it means backing off, losing face, acting girly, or whatever...

aye, if he poor guy did actually try to block the car with his body he contributed to his demise.

There are 2 sides to every story. Even 2 witnesses have different takes on what happened. http://www.news12.com/articleDetail.jsp?articleId=230222&position=1&news _type=news

from video

"one guy said one guy threw something at him"

around here, if on a Sat night, it could have been an open beer can



more bs..
My old, very low key, 911 seems to make some boy drivers nuts. They will taunt a street race from a red light, dump D from neutral at revs to burn rubber, will disregard my car as to do what they want even if it means I get cut off and have to brake, and sometimes tailgate 2' behind with their SUV headlights blinding me. etc etc
This happens countrywide, even on a lonely stretch in N Mexico.

manslaughter rap in the death of Ian Sharinn, 34.


http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2009/05/16/2009-05-16_long_island_man_charged_in_fatal_road_rage_held _on_500k_bail_ran_driver_over_aft.html

No good ever comes from road rage, hard to understand the thinking. I have experienced it first hand and hopefully learned to avoid the confrontations by managing the anger.

A couple of years ago in Danbury Ct (when I lived there) a guy was shot on his way to work at the local Hilton hotel on interstate 84, no witnesses, police just theorize it was RR. No one ever fingered so somebody out there got away with murder. Obviously, more details that I am not covering here but clearly a senseless death.

[QUOTE=widgeon13;4668385]No good ever comes from road rage, hard to understand the thinking. I have experienced it first hand and hopefully learned to avoid the confrontations by managing the anger.
QUOTE]



Yes, it happens to me daily and I just let it go...someone cuts me off or veers in to my lane and almost hits me, every day here in LA.
I have learned to watch the front wheels of any car along side of me, if it turns towards me I look for an escape route...I also leave plenty of room with the car in front of me in case I need to use that space to escape.

The other day, a guy in a newer BMW cut across and almost nailed me on PCH...I hit the brakes on the 993 and swerved to avoid him.

It was so brazen, that it did piss me off a little...so at the red light, I put my finger to my temple and tapped to say "hey buddy...THINK!"
and the guy rolled down his window and said "hey sorry man, Ive got my dry cleaning hanging in the back window and I didnt see you"

wow...but that is typical out here.

as far as the kid is concerned....it sounds like he is getting made an example of...by the authorities in that area. Certainly if he was attacked by the bigger guy, he had to get away and if the big guy put himself in the path of the vehicle...then he is a good candidate for the darwin award this year. just my opinion

I think there is something wrong with the idea that you could kill someone with a car and not expect to go to trial over it. I also think that you couldn't possibly run somebody over, [as in over their body] by mistake.

It wouldn't be a mistake if I did it. Also consider that the altima driver has several priors involving criminal activities. Doesn't look good to me.

As time goes by, more and more Americans seem to think that freedom means that they can do just about anything they want, as long as they feel justified. I am thinking that there are not enough a$$ whoopings going around during the formative years. My old man did not raise me to run over someone just because I felt like he might give me an a$$ whooping. Nor am I afraid of an a$$ whooping, or of dealing with a jackass.

Fking outrageous. :mad:

Though if the other witness is right, i guess the kid deserves it, but that is not at all what the first witness said. Guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens at the trial.

The witness on there was totally contradicted by earlier witnesses though. Bottom line, for mr. porsche dude to get out of his car- extremely stupid.

And it cost him his life. Let him be an example for the rest of us.


FROM AN ARTICLE POSTED ABOVE:

The clash happened around 10 a.m. Friday in Long Beach when the two motorists exchanged angry words.

As Potts made a U-turn to get away, Sharinn ran a red light, blocked his way and jumped out, witnesses and police said.

Sharinn, a well-built 6-foot-5, began pounding on Potts' Nissan Altima, a witness said.

While no one heard a direct threat toward Potts, "There were some vulgarities that witnesses heard," Nassau County police Detective John Azzata said.

He confirmed that Potts, of Oceanside, dialed 911. He tried to back up and escape, but was pinned by a vehicle behind him.

He ran Sharinn down when he shifted the car into drive, authorities said.

----------------

I'm sorry, the dude deserved to get ran over, for all we know he was about to violently assault that smallish kid, and IMO that kid should definitely not be facing the charges he is now, IF the above facts are correct.

This is craziness.

Sorry, but that kid is justified to use deadly force for self defense in my opinion because of the disparity of force clause. A small guy or woman facing a man 6'5" can reasonably expect that the other person could kill them while unarmed, and the man was beating on his car.

To me, unless more facts come out, it is a clearcut case of justifiable homocide, no way it should go to trial UNLESS there are more facts that i haven't seen.

As to his extremely minor priors, i don't think they are even in the slightest bit relevant. If i was a juror on that case- going by the current set of 'facts' i've seen- i would vote for not guilty, and i would refuse to convict no matter what.