Michigan woman accused of opening fire in road rage incident
HARRISON TOWNSHIP, Mich. - A Detroit-area driver is accused of shooting at a pickup truck after its driver threw a drink at her in a road rage incident, authorities said Thursday.
India Marchea McDougal, 36, was arraigned Wednesday on charges including assault with intent to commit murder and using a firearm during a felony, the Macomb County sheriff's department said. McDougal has a license to carry a concealed weapon, the department said.
Authorities received a 911 call Tuesday night from a 40-year-old man who reported exchanging words with another driver in Harrison Township. The man said he got out of his pickup to confront her about her driving, got back in after the argument escalated and threw a soft drink at her car before she opened fire.
McDougal also called 911, saying she fired her gun, investigators said. She told investigators she feared for her life and offered a slightly different version of what happened, saying the pickup driver threw the drink in her face.
CBS Detroit reports that the woman told police she was "scared for her life" so she fired a shot at his truck.
The man is facing misdemeanor charges, the sheriff's department said, but his name wasn't immediately released.
McDougal faces up to life in prison if convicted. She has requested a court-appointed lawyer and is due back in court on Oct. 26.
The shooting was one of several in recent weeks in Michigan involving people who have discharged firearms in public.
On Tuesday, a suburban Detroit woman with a concealed carry permit was charged with reckless discharge of a weapon after authorities said she shot at and flattened an SUV's tire to stop two suspected shoplifters from fleeing a Home Depot parking lot on Oct. 6 in Auburn Hills.
On Sept. 21, a bank customer in Warren, north of Detroit, shot and wounded a suspected robber fleeing the bank with cash. He also had a permit to carry a concealed weapon and has not been charged.
A northern Michigan woman was charged after two people were shot at Sept. 15 while picking apples from branches extending over a fence from private property.