News brief: Road rage incident escalates into shots fired at Ethel resident’s truck

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

An Ethel man’s response to an inconsiderate and aggressive driver grew into a road rage incident Sunday night that led to multiple shots being fired from a Ford pickup at the Ethel man’s truck southwest of Olympia, according to the Washington State Patrol.

Nobody was injured but troopers believe four shots were fired and three struck the Dodge Ram being driven by 58-year-old Donald Palmer of Ethel, according to a new release yesterday.

Palmer and his passenger, Margaret Eldridge of Elma, pulled off state Route 101 and called 911 after the approximately 9 p.m. incident. A pair of 22-year-old men were subsequently arrested. Two handguns were confiscated.

Detectives are asking any witnesses to call the state patrol at 253-538-3172.

It began on state Route 101 in Mason County and ended near the Black Lake Boulevard exit in west Thurston County, according to the news release.

The state patrol reported that after the pickup truck tailgated Palmer and then pulled ahead of it and slowed down, Palmer responded by flashing his lights, tailgating and honking his horn, according to the news release.

This kind of incident is completely avoidable, state patrol Capt. Jeff DeVere said in a news release.

While motorists can’t control the behavior of other drivers, they can control their own attitude and actions, he wrote.

“It’s not worth your life or anyone else’s life just to have the last word,” DeVere wrote.

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Read The Olympian’s news story from today here for more about the incident and arrests.

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