A drunken driver in a fit of road rage followed a man with three young children in his vehicle to the Altru Clinic parking lot and assaulted him Friday afternoon, Grand Forks police said.
"It was a minor traffic thing that shouldn't have gotten out of hand like that," Sgt. Kevin Kallinen said.
In the parking lot, 23-year-old Joseph Olson exited his vehicle, went up to the other vehicle and started punching the driver, a 41-year-old East Grand Forks man, through an open window, Kallinen said.
The East Grand Forks man, who police did not name, got out of his vehicle, fought with Olson and subdued him, Kallinen said. When police officers arrived on scene, Olson and the other man were with Altru security, according to a department news release.
Olson, Grand Forks, suffered some bruising, and the victim went to Altru Hospital, part of the same complex as the clinic, with a possible broken hand, Kallinen said.
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"The kids were upset, but I believe they were not injured in any way," he said.
Police said the incident started on DeMers Avenue near South Columbia Road as the men were driving west. Kallinen said one vehicle cut off the other and that Olson made gestures to the other vehicle. The victim turned onto Columbia toward the clinic, at 1000 S. Columbia Road, and Olson followed him, Kallinen said.
Olson was booked into the Grand Forks County jail on charges of aggravated assault, driving under the influence and having an open alcoholic beverage container in a motor vehicle.
A message left for Olson at the jail Friday evening was not returned.
Ingersoll reports on crime and courts. Reach him at (701) 780-1269; (800) 477-6572, ext. 269; or send e-mail to aingersoll@gfherald.com .
