Caught on Camera: Big rigs square off on I-49; 1 driver arrested; second identified

Police have caught one of two big rig drivers who were fighting on the Interstate last Tuesday, March 28, following a viral video of the incident. The other driver is cooperating with the authorities and headed back to the area, which is near Shreveport, LA, to turn himself in.

While the incident remains under investigation, it appears that the two drivers began engaging in road rage after one hit the other by accident. The highway was filled with other motorists at the time, one of whom filmed the two drivers swerving back and forth in front of the other and trying to stop each other before one driver stopped in the travel lane and exited his truck as the other driver dodged him.

The driver who was arrested, an Omar Berrios Martinez, was booked into the DeSoto Detention Center about 90 minutes after the sheriff’s deputies learned about the footage and charged with reckless operation with no accident and aggravated obstruction of a highway—a felony offense.

This incident underscores the importance of keeping one’s cool when driving, even after perceived slights from other drivers. The road is a public space that’s used by everyone, and losing your cool and becoming involved in road rage is a recipe for disaster. While this incident was luckily without major injury, it could’ve easily caused a multi-car pileup resulting in death, dismemberment, and thousands if not millions in property damage.

It also illustrates the importance of always driving defensively—sadly, you can’t trust everyone on the road to drive safely or responsibly. By driving defensively and looking out for others’ mistakes, you can keep yourself and everyone else on the road safe.