Mass. Road Rage Incident: Fingers Bitten And Shots Fired

An incident of road rage subsequently ended up with one man shooting another on Wednesday night in Massachusetts.

Road Rage

The scary event happened on a Wednesday night in Saugus, MA around 8:15 p.m. in Cliftondale Square. Two men, Stephen Cooper, 47, from Everett, and Mahomed Elorch, 32, from Melrose, got into a big argument while driving. It started when their cars almost crashed in a rotary. They yelled at each other through their car windows.

Biting fingers and shooting

The fight got worse when Cooper stopped at Banana Splitz, an ice cream shop, to calm down. But Elorch followed him there, and they argued again. Things turned physical when Cooper bit Elorch’s finger, and then Elorch bit Cooper’s finger back!

During the fight, Cooper warned Elorch that he had a gun and might shoot. Then, Cooper shot Elorch in the leg. Cooper says he did it to protect himself because Elorch punched him many times. A woman nearby saw the argument and the shooting.

Non-life threatening shooting

Elorch, who was hurt but not in danger of dying, walked across the street and waited for the police. He was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital. Cooper was arrested right away and is now facing serious charges, like assault with a dangerous weapon.

The victim said that Cooper then took out his handgun and shot him in the left leg. Cooper admits to shooting the victim in the leg, but said he was acting in self-defense. His attorney said that Cooper was punched "10 times in the face." -cbsnews.com

He’s being held on $50,000 bail, and he has to stay away from Elorch and give up his gun. Cooper will go back to court on October 20.

This event shocked people nearby. A woman who owns a hair salon close to the ice cream shop said it was very worrying.