Driver dead, one arrest in apparent Long Beach road rage
A road rage confrontation in Long Beach turned deadly Friday when a motorist ran down another driver who had climbed out of his Porsche to confront him, Nassau police said.
Police arrested Evan Potts, 22, who is to be arraigned Saturday for allegedly using his Nissan Altima to run over the 34-year-old driver of the 1978 canary-yellow sports car.
"There appears to be some aggressive driving that may have triggered this event," said Det. Lt. Kevin Smith of Nassau police, adding it's not yet clear what provoked the encounter.
Police have not publicly identified the dead motorist because they were trying to reach his family. They also did not release the suspect's name, but his family confirmed his identity.
About 10 a.m., the Porsche driver was headed east on West Park Avenue when he abandoned his car in the middle of the street and ran after a blue 2008 Altima turning right onto National Boulevard, said witness John Messina, one of the people who detained the suspect.
As the Altima drove away on National, the Porsche driver walked back to his car, drove east on West Park Avenue, ran a red light at National Boulevard and stopped at the intersection, said Messina, 36, of Long Beach. He then blocked the Altima with his car, got out and banged on the driver's car hood, yelling at him to get out, Messina said.
Messina said it looked like the driver may have tried to back up but was blocked by a car behind him. When he tried to go around the Porsche, the victim jumped in front of the Altima.
The driver struck him, knocking him backward, then drove over him, Messina said.
"It looked like to me the kid panicked and went right over the guy," he said.
The driver made a U-turn, then drove south on National, police said. They said two people who saw what happened pulled the driver out of his car at the next intersection and turned him over to a Long Beach police officer.
Smith said the Porsche driver stopped in front of the Altima, got out and yelled profanities, and that Potts struck him.
Paralegal Eileen Kelly, 45, overheard the Altima driver tell an officer, " 'I was trying to get away from him for five minutes. Look at my cell phone. I called 911 on my cell phone.' "
Potts will be charged under homicide statutes, Smith said, but the exact charges were not clear Friday night.
Amy Potts, Evan's mother, said her son had just moved out of the family's Oceanside home and is in his junior year at Queens College.
Potts was arrested in 2007 on charges of possession of burglar tools and marijuana, resisting arrest, third-degree criminal trespass and disorderly conduct, and pleaded guilty to some of the charges, according to court records. He also was convicted of driving in the wrong direction and failing to yield to an emergency vehicle.
Staff writers Eden Laikin, Matthew Chayes and John Valenti contributed to this story.
