'Road rage' incident results in felonies

PORT ST. LUCIE — A 28-year-old man accused of having a .40 caliber handgun and a baton during what police described as a "road rage" incident was arrested on two felony charges, according to records released Monday.

Nam Thuc Ha, of the 5900 block of Northwest Batchelor Terrace in Port St. Lucie, was arrested on two aggravated assault charges in connection with the Sunday morning incidents in the 1300 block of Northwest St. Lucie West Boulevard.

A 36-year-old man told Port St. Lucie police a person started honking his horn while they were in traffic and followed him into a parking lot.

The 36-year-old man parked and got out of his vehicle. He saw the other man had gotten out of his vehicle, a 2008 Lexus. The 36-year-old man said the assailant had a gun in his hand, and was yelling, "What are you gonna do (obscenity)."

"Nothing, you have a gun," the 36-year-old man told the assailant.

The 36-year-old man started backing up, and the assailant lowered the gun. He walked toward his Lexus and got what the 36-year-old man thought was a knife but that police determined was an expandable baton.

A 28-year-old woman got out of the Lexus and asked the 36-year-old man, "Why are you backing up." The 36-year-old man said he was calling police, and the assailant and the woman left.

The 36-year-old man gave police a description of the assailant and a vehicle tag number, and investigators went to Ha's listed address. Police were told Ha was working at a business in the 7500 block of South U.S. 1.

There, police found Ha, who said he had a confrontation with another driver. Ha said he put a firearm from his waistband in his vehicle and got an expandable baton before the confrontation happened.

Ha said he gave the gun to his wife, who was in the vehicle during the incident, described by police as "road rage." He dropped his wife off at her place of work. Police contacted the wife and got the firearm.