An Oregon man has been jailed after police say he pursued a couple in reverse for more than a mile in a bizarre road rage incident that was caught on camera.
Arman K Hastings, 29, of Beaverton, has been identified by authorities as the driver of a Subaru Forester who allegedly chased a man and his wife through an affluent Portland suburb following a confrontation on the road Sunday morning.
During a tense 911 call, the victim told dispatchers the other driver kept reaching toward his coat in a way that made it appear he might be grabbing for a gun, leaving the couple terrified for their safety.
The couple drove straight to the police department, where officers soon located Hastings and took him into custody. Authorities said a search of his jacket turned up a black airsoft handgun.
‘There was nothing from what we saw on the dash cameras that would have led to that… being any sort of reasonable response to it. It looked like the victim was driving appropriately,’ officer Matt Henderson told KOIN News.
Hastings was booked into the Washington County Jail and is facing charges of reckless driving and menacing, according to police.
‘That’s scary, because…You can’t see the kids in the streets,’ neighbor Diana Potts, who was away when the incident happened, told the outlet.
‘You can’t see what you’re going to hit, and to have someone react like that, especially on such a slow street.’
Arman K Hastings, 29, of Beaverton, Oregon, was arrested after allegedly chasing a couple in reverse for more than a mile during a deranged road rage rampage
Hastings was identified as the Subaru Forester driver who allegedly chased a man and his wife through an upscale Portland suburb Sunday morning, including an intersection
A search of his jacket uncovered a black airsoft handgun, authorities said
The terrifying confrontation began just before 7.30am Sunday, when the unidentified couple reported a disturbance while driving through a south Beaverton neighborhood, according to the Beaverton Police Department.
‘Hi, I have a disturbance that someone is following me,’ the victim, who told 911 he was driving a black Toyota Corolla, can be heard saying in audio released by police.
Both front and rear-facing cameras mounted on the victim’s vehicle captured the encounter, showing Hastings’ Subaru driving behind the couple in reverse through the suburb.
As the couple fled the neighborhood and reached a main road, the man told the 911 dispatcher: ‘It seems like he has a f***ing weapon or something. He was trying to go under his clothes to grab one.’
Footage showed Hastings riding inches behind the victim’s car, with his wife heard screaming in the background as the relentless pursuit continued.
The next clip showed his Subaru then speeding past the couple’s car and cutting them off, repeatedly maneuvering in front of the vehicle each time the victim tried to escape.
‘I have to make a U-turn,’ the man told the dispatcher. ‘Yeah, I have to make a U-turn because he’s blocking the road.’
The rear-facing camera captured Hastings immediately following suit, making a U-turn before once again speeding toward their vehicle with his engine revving as the wife yelped in terror.
Both front and rear-facing cameras mounted on the victim’s vehicle captured the encounter
Beaverton Police Officer Matt Henderson said: ‘There was nothing from what we saw on the dash cameras that would have led to that’
Hastings intentionally cut the couple off and repeatedly moved in front of their vehicle each time the victim tried to escape
The couple appeared to get away for just a moment before Hastings was captured driving around the bend in reverse on a main road, desperately trying to continue the chase.
‘Oh my god… this guy is crazy,’ the man told 911. ‘He’s driving in reverse right now, trying to follow me in reverse! This guy is on drugs for sure! What is he doing?’
The victim made a left turn at an intersection, with footage showing Hastings still following in reverse and crossing into oncoming traffic lanes.
The ordeal ended only when the couple managed to reach the Beaverton Police Department, where authorities said Hastings was quickly taken into custody ‘without incident.’
Officers’ bodycam footage captured police handcuffing Hastings and removing the airsoft gun from his pocket, with Hastings heard saying, ‘Don’t touch that.’
Hastings remained behind bars Tuesday after being booked on two charges, with his first court appearance scheduled for Thursday morning, according to jail records.
The motive behind the nightmare road rage incident remains a mystery, but Officer Henderson said investigators found no evidence of an argument or dispute that would have sparked the pursuit.
He also praised the victims for handling the situation correctly, saying that in this case they did everything right.
At one point, Hastings was seen following the couple in reverse and crossing into oncoming traffic lanes
The victim told 911 dispatchers that the driver repeatedly reached toward his coat as though he were grabbing a gun
Hastings was booked into the Washington County Jail, where he faces charges of reckless driving and menacing
‘The big thing is to call 911, get yourself to a safe space and realize that your car can help you out,’ Henderson said, according to KOIN.
‘You can get out of the area and try and remove yourself from the dangerous situation in your car. Don’t get out of your car unless there’s no other option. Remain calm. Drive to a public place. Do not go home. Don’t.’
‘Don’t show people where you live, especially somebody that’s just angry at you. Head to a police department or a mall someplace where other people are gathering. Stay on the phone with 911. And like I said, just try to remain calm,’ he added.
The police department later shared portions of the footage on its public Instagram page as a warning about the dangers of aggressive and reckless driving.
Dashcams can not only potentially help reduce insurance rates but also provide law enforcement and drivers with direct evidence of incidents, which Henderson said was ‘invaluable’ in this case.
‘It allows us to be inside the car with the victim. This is not our first case that we’ve had dash cameras that actually make our case,’ he told the outlet.
‘So…we as the police department love when people have dash cameras because it provides us evidence not only if they’re the victim, but also if there’s something that happens in front of them.’
Potts, who has lived just doors away from where the violent road rage incident unfolded for the past six years, said her son is now considering installing dashcams in his own car.
‘To capture a situation where he sees something ahead and can prove that somebody did something wrong. I think those are very helpful,’ she told the outlet. ‘I mean, it sounds like it’s the reason that somebody’s caught this person.’
Police are asking anyone who witnessed the incident or may have information about similar encounters involving Hastings to call the Beaverton Police Department at 503-629-0111.
