A truck driver was taken into custody on Wednesday after allegedly assaulting an investigating officer following a road rage incident.
The assault occurred on June 17th just after 8 p.m. in Wilkes-Barre Township, Pennsylvania.
According to the Times Leader, the trooper was heading north on Interstate 81 in Wilkes-Barre Township when he noticed a semi truck and an SUV pulled over onto the side of the road and two men fighting. The trooper then pulled over to investigate and discovered that the motorist, who was an off-duty Washington D.C. police officer, claimed that the trucker had cut him off in a construction zone. The off-duty officer then says he pulled over, and the trucker, Mariusz Stanley Rusiecki, pulled over as well, but exited his rig holding a crowbar.
The off-duty officer claims that he then informed Rusiecki that he was an off duty officer, so Rusiecki pushed him, ripping the off-duty officer’s shorts.
Rusiecki’s side of the story alleges that the off duty officer was the one who cut him off. According to his side of the story, the officer in the SUV sped up and turned in front of the big rig while merging into the construction zone. The officer in the SUV then allegedly brake-checked the rig, flipped off the trucker, and pulled over to the shoulder. Rusiecki denied holding a crowbar initially, but later claimed he had been holding a pair of channel locks.
As the investigating officer continued to question the trucker, Rusiecki allegedly decided “f**k you, I’m not answering any more of your questions,” and that when the investigating officer informed Rusiecki that he was being placed under arrest.
Rusiecki then began walking away towards his truck, so the investigating officer grabbed his arm and pushed him against the trailer, prompting Rusiecki to struggle. Another officer then helped apprehend the trucker, but the struggle left the investigating officer with a bloody lip, ripped tie, and broken sunglasses.
Rusiecki was arraigned Thursday by District Judge Rick Cronauer in Luzerne County Central Court on charges of aggravated assault, simple assault and harassment. He was released on $10,000 unsecured bail.
