Driver 'got mad' and opened fire on retired officer for honking his horn: reports

A Georgia man was wounded by gunfire in a road rage incident when another driver shot him for honking his horn, according to reports.

The injured man told police he was driving Monday behind a white Toyota that was driving slowly in the passing lane, so he honked his horn and eventually passed the car -- but the other driver began to follow him, according to WAGA-TV.

“It’s a classic case of -- let’s call it what it was: stupidity,” Forsyth County Sheriff Ron Freeman told WSB-TV.

Police said the Toyota's driver, later identified as 31-year-old Joshua Kasparek, opened fire on the other man, who is a retired public safety officer, as they drove along the highway.

The gunshots shattered the driver's side window and struck the man in the arm.

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“He was very lucky the bullet was deflected and went into his arm,” Freeman said. “He received minor treatment for that. But it could just as easily been a loss of life, because someone got mad that you were passing him.”

He pursued the gunman for a short distance before losing him, so he pulled over and called 911 for help.

Forsyth County sheriff's deputies tracked down Kasparek a short time later and questioned him, and they said his account matched the victim's.

“He was compliant. There was no chase, no use of force,” Freeman said. “But he had no good explanation. Basically, ‘I did it. I got mad.’”

Deputies also learned that Kasparek had a family violence order filed against him that forbid him from owning a gun or ammunition.

The incident happened around 8:15 a.m. Monday on state Route 400 in Forsyth County.

Kasparek was charged with aggravated assault, reckless conduct and violation of a family court order, and he remains in jail without bond.