A road rage incident in Duluth, Georgia, turned violent when a man allegedly followed through on a chilling threat to shoot after counting to three. Now, 30-year-old Josue Colon Matos is facing serious charges, including aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during a crime, and reckless driving. He is currently in the Gwinnett County Jail without bond.
It all started on the evening of December 23 on Pleasant Hill Road, about 30 miles northeast of Atlanta. Duluth Police officers were called to the scene around 8 p.m. after receiving reports of a shooting. When they arrived, they found the victim with a gunshot wound to his left foot.
The victim, clearly shaken, told police, “I can’t believe he shot me. He was tailgating me. He kept bothering me, and I got upset.”
According to the victim, Matos was driving aggressively, tailgating him on the road. Frustrated, the victim pulled into a parking lot, but Matos followed. The situation escalated when the victim got out of his car and approached Matos’ vehicle. That’s when things took a dangerous turn.
As described in the arrest affidavit, Matos got out of his car, and the two men began arguing. At some point, Matos pulled out a gun and told the victim he had “until the count of three” to leave him alone. Matos then counted to three and shot the man in the foot before driving away.
Paramedics took the victim to the hospital for treatment, and police quickly got to work tracking down the suspect. Using traffic cameras, officers identified Matos’ vehicle and arrested him.
Matos’ lawyer, Robert King, has a different version of events. He claims that Matos acted in self-defense, saying, “We anticipate the evidence will show the other driver was the primary aggressor.”
Matos is scheduled to appear in court on January 17, where the details of the case will likely be further discussed. For now, he remains behind bars as investigators continue to piece together what really happened that night.