SEATTLE — A man was shot during a road rage incident near the Riverview neighborhood in Seattle early Saturday morning, according to police, and the suspect is still outstanding.
At 2:39 a.m., police responded to a call from a witness in the area who heard several shots fired. Officers arrived to the area near the entrance of the Duwamish River Trail and Highland Park Way Southwest, and found a man sitting outside his car with a gun shot wound to his lower back.
Police provided medical aid to the victim while waiting for Seattle Fire Department medics to arrive, and later transported him to Harborview Medical Center where he is recovering.
The suspect involved fled the scene in a sedan-type vehicle, though the direction is unknown. Police canvassed the area and found evidence of the shooting but nothing further. Their investigation continues.
The Washington State Patrol (WSP) reported an uptick in the number of "shots fired" calls related to road rage in 2022, with 133 incidents so far this year.
"It seems like people are just getting a lot more bold on the roadways," said WSP Trooper John Dattilo.
Dattilo said a number of factors could be contributing to the rise.
"Law enforcement - a lot of agencies are struggling with low staffing," Dattilo said. "There's been a lot of changes, especially coming out of COVID, things opening back up, there was a lot of frustration and there was a lot of high emotions during the COVID shutdowns."
If you have any information about this incident, police urge you to contact their SPD Violent Crimes Tip Line at 206-233-5000.
Dattilo encourages people to report the license plate numbers of aggressive drivers and to de-escalate and disengage in the face of aggression.
"If you see aggressive driving, create some distance," Dattilo said. "And if they cut you off, don't respond. That's, in order for it to be road rage, there has to be two players. And if you can eliminate one of those players there's no incident."