VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — It started as a routine trip for a Virginia Beach mother Tuesday morning.
She headed north on First Colonial Road, and, as an Hampton Roads Transit bus lumbered along near Interstate 264 westbound, she decided to change lanes.
Seconds later, she feared this would be her last trip, as she said someone she described as an older man in a pickup truck pointed a gun at her.
“And I was getting into the left lane — I guess he didn’t want me getting in his lane, and he hit the gas and almost hit me,” said the woman, who wishes to remain anonymous. “So it kind of shocked me when we got to the light that veers off where there’s a turn lane to go onto to 64 West right there and First Colonial before the Target. He pulled up next to me and just pointed his gun at me and just took off on 264 West.”
The mother, who is married to a retired Navy SEAL, said the man who brandished a firearm drove a distinctive Chevrolet pickup truck.
“It was yellow,” she said. “I believe the tires were a little bit larger than normal. It had a Z71 and black detail decals on the front, right over the tire up there. And I believe it also had some trim. It’s not something that you buy from the factory.”
Terrified, she dialed 911 and, she said, a city of Virginia Beach Police officer responded.
“The police officer [pulled in] at the parking lot and my doctor’s office,” she said. “And unfortunately, because I don’t have a plate number, there’s really nothing they can do. And he said this happens every day.”
Last year, the driver of a red sports car was caught on camera and arrested for incidents in Newport News and Virginia Beach.
The First Colonial Road incident was confirmed by Virginia Beach Police. Virginia State Police said Wednesday that it received a BOLO (be-on-the-lookout) request from VBPD for a bright yellow pickup related to a brandishing call, and that it was not investigating the incident.
“It was very terrifying,” the woman said. “And just he just looked really, really angry. And I mean, I’ve never been on that end of a gun in my life. And, you know, thank God for that.”
The mother describes the suspect as an older White man with light-colored hair that is thinning.
A Virginia Beach Police spokesperson gave 10 On Your Side this advice to pass along to the public, “If you are a victim of a road rage incident, do not engage. Try to get their license plate number and call 9-1-1 to request police intervention. If they follow you, navigate to the nearest police station. “
Continue to check WAVY.com for updates.