A driver trying to avoid a collision on a Colorado Springs road ended up with a pepper-ball projectile in his head, and the man who fired it pedaled away into the brush. The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office says the road-rage encounter unfolded Sunday near Highway 85-87 and East Las Vegas Street. The victim was treated for a non-life-threatening injury while deputies searched for the bicycling suspect.
According to a Facebook post from the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, the driver braked suddenly to avoid a collision after an approximately 50-year-old white man with a beard and glasses rode a mountain bike out of a wooded area and into his path. The man allegedly fired a pepper-ball gun, and the projectile struck the driver in the head. The injured man made it to the El Paso County Jail lobby, where deputies and medical staff provided immediate aid. Colorado Springs firefighters and American Medical Response then transported him to a local hospital.
Search Continues Near Highway 85-87
Deputies and Colorado Springs police established a perimeter around the area and searched nearby creek beds and other uninhabited spots using ground resources and a drone. The El Paso County Jail was placed on a temporary lockdown while deputies assessed the situation, but law enforcement did not locate the suspect. Investigators are asking witnesses and anyone with video footage to call the sheriff’s tip line at 719-520-7777.
Road Rage Calls Have Also Drawn Recent Attention
The incident comes as Colorado Springs officials contend with a rise in road-rage-related calls. KRDO reported that Colorado Springs police handled 62 such calls in March, compared with 50 in March of the previous year and a late-2024 monthly average of nearly 49.
A separate Colorado Springs confrontation in late May also involved a weapon complaint after a driver and a person on a scooter argued near Monument Street and North Nevada Avenue. KKTV reported that the driver allegedly pointed a gun before running from officers and later being taken into custody.
