CHARLOTTE, N.C. — What started as a car tailing another on I-85 in Charlotte ended with a woman allegedly being physically assaulted by a known violent offender, and the entire incident was captured on video.
A driver was filming as a car started trailing another closely, dipping in and out of traffic. The video shows the car still being trailed as it got off the interstate, and turned into the 7-Eleven on Beatties Ford Road. The tailing car appears to follow it in, and a man is seen getting out of it, walking up to the other car, and punching the woman from the other car with a closed fist.
Police have identified that man as Demont Forte.
“Unfortunately, road rage is something we experience across the city, across the state,” Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officer Blake Page said.
Because of the video, CMPD was able to swiftly identify and arrest Forte.
Page said that type of tip is one of the most effective.
"A lot of times when we get those pictures we rotate them through the department and we’re pretty successful at identifying suspects,” Page said.
In this case, Forte was no stranger to CMPD.
A background check on Forte found 100 criminal filings. In 2017, he barricaded himself in a home during a 2017 SWAT standoff as officers were trying to serve outstanding warrants. Forte has also faced charges for murder, assault on a female, false imprisonment, possession of a stolen weapon, possession of a weapon by a felon, and drug-related offenses.
While officers haven’t released a motive for the incident, local driver Sonia McPhaul says the incident is a wake-up call.
"Maybe we might have been one of those people who didn’t let someone in but nowadays you're going to have to think twice," McPhaul said. "You might need to let somebody in because you don’t know how they’re going to react.”
“If you ever find yourself in a situation where you're facing someone that is frustrated behind the wheel and taking it out on you, do everything you can to avoid making contact with that person," Page said.
Page said if you are being tailed, you should immediately call the police.
“Let the dispatcher know hey, this is where I’m at, this is what's going on, I’m trying to find the nearest location to meet an officer,” Page said.
Page said any information you can give officers is crucial.
“The person driving the car, what they look like, what the car looks like," Page listed. "It’s absolutely possible to find the person responsible for road rage.”
Forte has been charged with Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Assault on a Female, and Hit & Run, but according to court records, he has already been released from jail.
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