If They Only Had a Byrna: When Road Rage Turns Deadly

If They Only Had a Byrna: When Road Rage Turns Deadly

On today’s episode of If They Only Had a Byrna, we examine a road rage incident that ended with one man dead and another facing murder charges—an outcome that may have been avoided with a less-lethal option.

Last summer in Arizona, two vehicles were stopped at a red light. When the light turned green, the second vehicle in line—a GMC truck—briefly honked its horn after the Dodge Challenger in front failed to move. The Challenger remained stopped through another full light cycle before finally proceeding through the intersection.

Shortly after, the driver of the Challenger began swerving aggressively into the truck’s lane multiple times, narrowly missing it. He then pulled directly in front of the truck and came to a sudden stop. The driver exited his vehicle and, according to witnesses, walked back toward the truck yelling and waving his arms in an aggressive manner.

Inside the truck was the driver and his six-year-old daughter.

As the man approached the driver’s door, witnesses stated he reached toward the back of his waistband. Fearing for his life and his child’s safety, the driver of the truck opened his door and fired a single shot into the man’s chest, killing him. The truck driver was later arrested and charged with murder.

If he’d only had a Byrna.

From inside the vehicle, the driver could have deployed a Byrna SD or Byrna CL to stop the aggressor’s advance without using lethal force. A possible response could have involved kinetic rounds to create immediate distance, followed by Byrna MAX rounds in the same magazine to incapacitate the attacker long enough to safely escape the area.

While other precautions—such as not opening the door or avoiding the confrontation altogether—may have helped, having a Byrna launcher would have provided an effective and, most importantly, legal less-lethal option to de-escalate the situation before it turned fatal.

This incident highlights how less-lethal self-defense tools like the Byrna SD and CL have the potential to prevent not only the loss of life, but also the life-altering legal consequences that can follow a split-second decision.

Because one bullet can end two lives.

Be smart. Be safe. Be prepared to defend—without taking a life.