Police: Tooele Road Rage Suspect Used Car as Weapon, Pinned Victim

TOOELE, Utah – A road rage confrontation at a gas station escalated violently when a driver allegedly used his vehicle to pin another person against a car, leading to an attempted murder arrest.

Marco Chavez, 31, was booked into the Tooele County Jail on one count of first-degree felony attempted murder and misdemeanor counts of failure to remain at the scene of an accident, drug possession and use of drug paraphernalia.

The Tooele Police Department responded to the incident just before 8 p.m. on May 14 at a gas station near 600 North and Main Street. According to court documents, what began as a verbal argument between the suspect and the victim became increasingly intense before investigators say Chavez used a vehicle to pin the victim against another car.

Lieutenant Cameron Roden of the Utah Highway Patrol said road rage remains a persistent problem across the state, even after new laws were passed to help prevent it.

“This is something that’s completely preventable, and yet we still continue to see instances that end in crashes and even fatalities at times,” Roden said.

He noted that these situations can intensify rapidly once drivers begin retaliating.

“It doesn’t take a lot. Once you get one person retaliating, things escalate very quickly,” Roden said. “We just need to realize that we’re all human, that we all make these type of mistakes.”

Roden advised that if someone is targeting another driver on the road, the best response is to create distance and call police.

“If someone makes a mistake, just let it go. Let it go down the road,” he said.

He also warned that vehicles can quickly become dangerous when used aggressively. “Any time you’re behind the wheel, whether it’s intentional or not, if you’re traveling on the roadway and driving a vehicle, it can turn into a weapon,” Roden said.

The victim survived the incident. Chavez remains in custody.