WEBER COUNTY, Utah, Oct. 20, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — An Ogden man has been charged with two felonies after the alleged beating of a man in a suspected road rage incident.
In a case filed last week related to a Sept. 7 incident, David Archie Harold Hicks, 31, faces charges of:
- Aggravated assault resulting in serious bodily injury, a second-degree felony
- Possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, a third-degree felony
- Damage/interruption of communication device, a class B misdemeanor
“The victim is a semi truck driver for a local company and reported that he was travelling northbound on I-15 and came up behind a vehicle traveling very slowly in his lane,” says a probable cause statement filed in the case by an officer of the Weber County Sheriff’s Office.
“The victim reported that it appeared the driver was on his phone so the victim honked his horn at him. The suspect then began to brake-check the victim and cut him off as he changed lanes.”
The victim eventually passed the suspect when the suspect pulled to the shoulder of the road, motioning for the victim to pull over also, the statement says.
“The victim continued driving and the suspect then followed the victim. The victim pulled into his workplace and parked in view of cameras he knew to be on the side of the business.”
Recordings corroborates the statement of events from the victim, the statement says. The victim reportedly got out of his truck and began walking toward the suspect.
“The victim stated that the suspect, later identified as David Hicks, had a folding knife in his hand as he was approaching the victim. The victim then runs to his truck and grabs a metal bar used for tie-down straps. The victim reported that David then puts the knife away and they approach each other, arguing about each other’s driving.”
The victim started dialing 911 on his cellphone, the statement says.
“The victim stated that he had 9 dialed on his cellphone but then David lunged for the metal bar and he dropped his phone and they began to struggle over the bar. Video footage from the business confirmed the victim’s statements and showed the victim and David struggling for the bar. David is seen on camera punching the victim in the face numerous times as they struggle over the bar.”
A “passenger suspect” approached the victim and Hicks, and picked up the victim’s cellphone, the statement says.
“The passenger suspect just stands by and watches as David repeatedly punches the victim in the face while attempting to take away the bar from the victim. The victim never punches David in return but only holds onto the bar to keep it away from David. The passenger suspect is seen throwing the victim’s cellphone into the bed of a truck on a trailer and later retrieving the phone and then throwing it even further, into a large field.”
In total, Hicks punched the victim in the face about 15 times, the reporting deputy estimates, “while the victim never hits David at all.”
The victim required stitches due to a laceration in his lip. A CT scan revealed a displaced right nasal bone facial fracture and an orbital blowout fracture of his right eye which required further follow-up, the statement says. The victim also had a front tooth chipped.
A subsequent visit to an eyes specialist revealed an orbital floor fracture, which required surgery for the insertion of an artificial floor to support the eye. The victim was left with blurry vision.
Hicks has an extensive criminal history, the reporting officer noted, and is restricted from carrying a knife or any other dangerous weapon. He is being held in the Weber County jail without bail.
