I need advice before I call the police?

Question

Less than 15 mins. ago I was in the grocery store parking lot. A parking spot became free right near the door on the right side of the lot and on the left side, there was a car waiting with their turn signal on. Of course, I wasn't going to take the spot since another car was waiting, but because traffic in the lot was so heavy, I had to pull up before the car waiting could pull into the parking spot.

Well, I guess the driver thought I was going to steal "his" spot because he turned left right in front of me and into the empty spot. I had to slam on my brakes to keep from hitting him.

I wait for him to get out of his Mercedes (his cell phone glued to his ear) and very calmly I say, "You know, you had no reason to pull out in front of me like that. I wasn't going to take your spot." And he said, in a rude tone of voice, "Don't worry about it!" So I tell him, "get off your cell phone and just drive." Then I gave him the middle finger. Then he punched my car. I reversed, got his license plate number and drove straight home.

There is a small dent on the side of my door where he hit my car. It's not noticeable but it's definitely there and he definitely did it. Do I call the police? Will I be in trouble for giving him the middle finger? Also - if I file a police report won't this guy have my personal information including my home address?

Sorry this is so long. I just wanted to be sure to convery the entire story. Thanks for your opinion.

Answer 1

If you file a police report, your name and address has to be on it.  You would be best off just getting the dent fixed and letting it go.  This may be frustrating, but it is not half as frustrating as trying to get the matter settled legally.

Answer 2

This is a situation where it is better to "cut your losses."  Involving the police in a personal dispute, particularly where there was a problem on both sides, is taking things too far.  You're angry at the guy who was rude to you, but you are also angry at yourself for losing your temper and acting out, even if it was only for a moment.  Your best course of action is to let it go, give yourself some time to cool down, and regain your sense of balance.  In a couple of weeks, the whole thing won't bother you nearly as much, and you will have saved yourself a lot of work and worry.

Answer 3

It is possible, in giving your finger, you may be charged

with "aggravated assault."

Answer 4

There was a domestic incident where violence was present on his part. I'd call the police immediately. If he has a problem with you shooting him the bird, just tell them you were letting him know who #1 was....Buttheads such as this need to be taught a lesson and you can probably only sue him in small claims court for the amount of damage.

Answer 5

your middle finger didn't damage anything... Him punching your car is road rage.

I'd phone the coppers a.s.a.p. about this.

Answer 6

You are right he was rude but you were also giving him the finger. Realize that giving someone the finger is a sign of aggression and some people will assault you, even though you are a women so unless your willing to accept the consequences don't do it. Cops probably won't do much about the car and if you file a police report yes he will have your home address. A week or so ago a 70 year old man going to dialisis shot a cop in a road rage situation, anyone is capable of killing you so think about whether its worth it to flick somene off.

Answer 7

It's all a matter of is it worth it to you.  If you want to file a claim either with your insurance, or if you want to sue him, then you will need to file a police report.  The longer you wait on it the more it will damage your case.   If you think he is a violent off the handle type of person who you do not want any further involvement with then you could just let it go.  However, every time you see the dent in your car you will be upset.  Whatever the circumstances, he had absolutely no right to punch your car.  You did not touch him or his car in any way, you were not in the wrong here.  To all the people saying that she will be charged for giving the finger, there is such a thing called freedom of speech.  He could have just as easily cursed you out, in which case there would be nothing you could do. However, he choose to be violent and hit your car, that is taking it too far!  Also, maybe if his road rage is stopped and he doesn't get away with it this time, he will learn to better control himself in the future.  Either way, you (the OP) are NOT in the wrong.

Answer 8

In Seattle, a friend of mine was purposely cut off in traffic. The person behind him was mad so whipped around my friend, got in front of him, and then slammed on the brakes. My friend saluted him (not the finger, an actual salute) and said "Nice". The guy got out of the car and kicked my friend's door in.

My friend called the cops and was told that he shouldn't have saluted him and he provoked the incident. The police gave my friend the other guys phone number (after looking it up based on license number, I guess) and said to call him and work it out.

My friend called him and the two ended up talking for over an hour about music etc. The guy who kicked in his door apologized and said he'd had a really bad day and offered to pay for it.

So, to answer your question, you may just get a lecture from the cops about flipping somebody off. But hey, you may get a friend out of the situation! LOL!

Answer 9

Flipping someone off is NOT a crime and you can't get in any kind of trouble for it. Punching your car is a crime, it's considered vandalism and damage of personal property. I'd contact the police and file a report, at least for your insurance company. While you probably don't have the guys license plate number, you can get the dent fixed. But chances are, it would be cheaper to get the dent knocked out by a dent specialist as opposed to paying a deductible.

Play it safe, file a report and get a copy of it in case you want to get the dent fixed through insurance. Your rates won't go up.

Answer 10

it is criminal damage and you should take them to cort or tell the police you putting your middle finger will not be as bad as criminal damage