Club-wielding man fined in road rage incident

By Delon Shurtz - Lethbridge Herald on February 15, 2022.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com

A Lethbridge man who, in a fit of road rage, used a golf club to smash a car window last summer, has been fined and ordered to pay for damages.
Joshua Michael Egger pleaded guilty Monday in Lethbridge provincial court to charges of mischief causing damage under $5,000, and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. He was fined a total of $1,000 and ordered to pay restitution of $323 to replace the car window.
The Crown told court an individual called police to report an incident of road rage on Aug. 14, 2020. The complainant had been driving his 2001 Honda Accord in the Copperwood area for much of the night when Egger, who had his children and dog with him, stepped out from the curb to cross the road, then stepped back and flashed his middle finger at the vehicle as it drove by.
About five minutes later the complainant approached a traffic circle in the same area and encountered a Toyota Forerunner driven by Egger which blocked the other vehicle’s access to the traffic circle. The complainant drove around the Forerunner, however, and continued driving along Keystone Terrace West, with Egger following closely behind.
Both vehicles stopped, with Egger’s vehicle blocking the front of the complainant’s vehicle. The complainant and a passenger stepped out of the vehicle and approached Egger, who was yelling that the Honda Accord had nearly struck his children as it drove by them. As they argued, Egger stepped out of his vehicle, made a punching motion with a golf club, then walked to the Honda and smashed the rear window, showering two passengers with broken glass. He then returned to his vehicle and drove away.
Egger disagreed with the Crown’s description of the incident and said police never went to his house and he never knew he had been charged. He said the other car blocked his vehicle, and the driver and passenger exited the Honda in a “confrontational” manner.
“I felt threatened and that’s why I used the golf club, and I pointed it at the driver of the vehicle and I told him to get back.”
Although Egger refuted the facts related in court, he admitted he used the golf club as a weapon to smash the Honda’s window.
In addition to his fines, Egger was placed on probation for 12 months, during which he must be assessed and receive counselling and treatment for anger management.

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