ALLENTOWN, Pa. - A motorist shot and killed another who attacked him with a metal baseball bat after a road rage incident in Center City early Sunday.
It happened about 3:37 a.m. at Fifth and Hamilton streets. The dead man was identified as a 35-year-old from Whitehall Township but authorities did not immediately release his identity.
According to the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office, video surveillance showed two vehicles – an Audi and a Prius – involved in an altercation leading up to the shooting. The Audi passed the Prius in the 400 block of Hamilton Street and forced the Prius to the curb after crossing Fifth Street.
The Audi driver got out of his car with the bat and swung it at the Prius driver, striking the driver’s side door, according to a news release. The Prius driver, still seated behind the wheel, fired a single shot at the Audi driver, striking him, said District Attorney Gavin Holihan.
The Prius driver left the scene, parked about a block and a half away and called 911, according to the district attorney’s office. When police arrived, they found the Prius driver had a 9 mm handgun that they said he was legally permitted to possess.
The district attorney’s office said they have not identified the shooter because charges have not been filed.
Authorities said a passenger in the Audi remained at the scene and was uninjured. His name also was not released.
The Audi driver was pronounced dead at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest at 4:51 a.m., said Lehigh County Coroner Dan Buglio.
The district attorney’s office said an investigation is continuing by Allentown police, the Lehigh County Homicide Task Force, the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office, and the Lehigh County Coroner’s Office.
