ROAD RAGE: Austin security guard accused of shooting at woman driving on I-35
AUSTIN, Texas Aug 28 2018 — A man who works as a commissioned security guard is accused of firing a gun at a driver in a fit of road rage on I-35.
According to an affidavit, a woman was driving north on I-35 in the center lane when she moved to the left lane to pass a semi-truck. She then got behind a gray sedan which was driving faster than the semi, but then slowed so she wasn’t able to pass.
The woman says she then slowed down, got behind the semi again, and moved to the right lane because her exit was coming up. She told police the driver of the gray sedan pulled up next to her in the right lane as she was in the exit lane. As she drives with her windows down, she could hear the man driving the car yelling at her.
Court documents say the woman refused to make eye contact with the driver and instead flipped him off. She then heard a pop or a bang that she immediately recognized as a gunshot, but she didn’t see any gun.
In fear for her life, the woman then exited the highway and called 911.
Around the same time, a man called 911 while driving in Round Rock stating someone shot at him. When he met up with Round Rock Police officers, the man–23-year-old Joshua Pratte, who identified himself as a commissioned security guard, meaning he was licensed to carry a weapon–said his ears were ringing after someone fired at him on I-35.
The officer said that didn’t make sense, and it was more likely that a shot from inside the vehicle would have left Pratte’s ears ringing.
Upon searching Pratte’s vehicle, the officer found a black pistol in plain view between the driver’s seat and the console, and a shell casing was found in the middle of the back seat.
When asked about the gun and shell casing, Pratte changed his statement. According to the affidavit, Pratte told police that a white sedan pulled up on his right on I-35 and the driver was trying to flag him down and he admitted to pulling out his pistol and pointing it at the driver. He then said he had to brake suddenly and admitted to accidentally firing the gun at the other vehicle.
During a later interview, police say Pratte changed his account again, that he was driving slowly on a “donut” spare tire and the other driver yelled at him to pull over. He said she swerved at him and he had to brake, losing control of the car and firing the gun.
However, investigators say when he reenacted firing the weapon, the bullet would have struck the interior of Pratte’s vehicle, and the shell–which is ejected from the right side of the Smith & Wesson gun–wouldn’t have ended up in the back seat.
Pratte is charged with deadly conduct, a 3rd degree felony.
FOX29
