LOS ANGELES, CA – A Los Angeles couple says a driver deliberately steered his car toward them and their dog during an apparent road rage confrontation in the Mid-Wilshire neighborhood, forcing them to jump out of the way and run onto a nearby park lawn.
The incident occurred shortly before 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 12 near 9th Street and Lucerne Boulevard, close to Harold Henry Park.
The couple said they were walking their miniature Dachshund and speaking on the phone when a driver approached the intersection.
According to their account, they waved to the motorist to continue through because they were not yet ready to cross.
Instead of simply driving away, the man behind the wheel allegedly became angry and began shouting at them.
“Almost immediately, he started yelling at us,” said the male victim, who asked not to be publicly identified because of safety concerns.
The man’s fiancée said the driver then yelled an obscenity and questioned whether they spoke English.
The couple said they ended their phone call and told the driver they did not want to engage with him.
“At that point, we put the phone down and just told him, ‘Hey, move along, we aren’t interested in engaging,’” the man said.
What happened next transformed what the couple described as an unexpected verbal confrontation into a potentially deadly encounter.
The driver allegedly turned his vehicle toward the sidewalk and accelerated directly at the couple and their dog.
Dashcam footage captured by another motorist shows an orange Mitsubishi Mirage hatchback moving toward the pedestrians as they attempt to get out of its path.
“It was terrifying and it happened so fast,” the man said. “He just turned his car and tried to run us over, completely unprovoked.”
The victim said his immediate reaction was to pull the dog away from the approaching vehicle.
The couple stepped backward and narrowly avoided being hit before beginning to run.
According to their account, the driver continued following them, moving the vehicle onto the grass near the park as the couple ran and screamed.
The vehicle eventually turned away and returned toward the roadway.
Before leaving, the driver allegedly shouted another remark at the couple asking whether they were now scared.
He then drove away.
Neither member of the couple nor their dog was reported injured.
The encounter was captured by dashcam video from a nearby driver, providing the couple with evidence they later turned over as part of their report to authorities.
Information reviewed by Street People indicates the footage contains relatively clear images of the driver and the vehicle.
The orange hatchback reportedly had several distinctive bumper stickers and displayed a Colorado license plate, potentially giving investigators multiple characteristics that could help identify the vehicle.
The couple said they reported the incident to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Authorities had not announced an arrest based on the information available for this report.
The identity of the driver also had not been publicly released.
Investigators have not publicly said whether the driver has been identified through the license plate, vehicle description or video footage.
The couple said the apparent lack of any significant confrontation before the vehicle was driven toward them is among the most troubling aspects of the encounter.
Their account indicates the dispute began simply after they gestured for the motorist to proceed through the intersection.
“I’m just really scared because this person is obviously unhinged and looking to start altercations with people,” the woman said.
The man expressed concern that another encounter involving the same driver could end differently.
“If he attacked us, he is likely to attack others and it’s only a matter of time before someone gets really hurt,” he said.
The allegations have not been adjudicated in court, and police have not publicly released an account establishing the driver’s intent or explaining what caused the confrontation.
What the available video and witness account provide, however, is a sequence investigators can examine: a vehicle stopping near pedestrians, a verbal exchange, the vehicle changing direction toward the sidewalk and the couple moving quickly to avoid it.
The incident also raises broader questions about how incidents involving vehicles and pedestrians can move from verbal confrontations to serious physical danger within seconds.
Los Angeles maintains citywide public-safety resources that direct residents to contact law enforcement when they witness or experience potentially dangerous conduct. The City of Los Angeles lists the Los Angeles Police Department as the primary law-enforcement agency for public-safety incidents within city limits.
For emergencies involving an immediate threat to life or safety, residents should call 911.
Non-emergency incidents can be reported through LAPD channels, and witnesses can provide investigators with information such as vehicle descriptions, license plates and video evidence when it is safe to do so.
Those details could prove particularly important in this case because the suspect vehicle was reportedly captured from multiple angles.
Authorities have not said whether the Colorado license plate visible in the footage was registered to the person driving at the time of the incident or whether investigators have confirmed the plate information.
Police also have not disclosed whether additional neighborhood surveillance cameras captured the confrontation.
The couple did not report any previous interaction with the driver before the incident.
There is also no information indicating that they knew him.
According to their account, the encounter began and escalated within only a short period of time while they were walking their dog through the neighborhood.
No information has been released indicating that the vehicle struck any pedestrians, animals or other vehicles during the confrontation.
The case remains significant to the couple because of how narrowly they say they avoided being hit.
Their concern now is that the driver could be involved in another confrontation before authorities locate him.
Anyone who recognizes the driver or the orange Mitsubishi Mirage, or who has additional video or information about the Aug. 12 incident, is urged to contact the Los Angeles Police Department at 1-877-527-3247.
The investigation remains ongoing.
