An Ooltewah man is in custody after police said he shot at a man and a pregnant woman following a road rage incident, allegedly screamed racial slurs, shot up the victims’ car, and lied to law enforcement during the investigation.
Michael Shane Roberts, 55, of 8680 Kennerly Court, is charged with three counts of attempted first-degree murder, three counts of aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, reckless endangerment, vandalism and reckless driving.
The sheriff’s office responded to a shooting at Waconda Shore Drive on Feb.
25 and spoke to the two victims. They said they had been shot at by a man and called it a road rage incident. Police said they found multiple spent shell casings and unfired live rounds at the scene, and said the victims’ Toyota was damaged.
The victim told police he was driving south on 153 when he saw a gray BMW driving “recklessly” and at a high rate of speed, and that the BMW swerved in front of the victim and almost hit him. The victim said the BMW brake checked him several times, and even drove into the grass by the exit ramp going to Highway 58 before merging and brake checking him again.
The victim said the BMW then stopped completely, and when the victim drove around him, the BMW started moving again and tailgated the Toyota with its hazard lights on. The victim said the BMW then accelerated in front of him at the intersection of 58 and Jersey Pike and slammed on the brakes, which caused the Toyota to hit the BMW. The victim told police he drove home and parked the car a street away from his residence, since the BMW had followed him down the street.
The victim said he thought the BMW was leaving, so he got out of his Toyota. He said the BMW instead turned around, and the driver pulled out a handgun, racked the slide, and yelled “You better run n****r”, at which point the victim ran behind a house to get away. The victim told police he heard shots ring out, and described the firearm as a black semi-automatic handgun.
A pregnant woman said she was at the residence when the shooting occurred, and said the first man called her on the phone and told her to open the door. She said she went to the door and saw him talking to a man in a pickup truck. She said the man in the pickup truck had stopped to see if the first victim was okay.
She said after the pickup truck drove away, the BMW drove up and that she could see the man inside had a gun. She said the BMW’s driver yelled “You better f***ing run you n****r,” and said she ran through the front door while the first victim ran to the back of the house as the suspect started shooting.
The woman said she opened the side door of the house to let the dogs in, and checked to see if the man had left. She said she saw the shooter and told him to leave. She said the man was at the end of the driveway, and that he pointed the gun at her and shot at her. She told law enforcement that she recorded the man shooting up her car on her phone.
Detectives found spent casings and live rounds in the roadway and in the driveway in front of the residence, and saw five bullet marks in the doors of the Toyota parked in the roadway. Detectives said the driver’s window was shattered, and there were holes where bullets had gone straight through the vehicle. They also found a side view mirror housing that belonged to a gray BMW in the front yard, and secured it as evidence.
Detectives also watched the cell phone video that the woman had taken, and saw an older white man holding a handgun and shooting nine shots at the Toyota. At the end of the video, the man got back into the BMW and drove away at a high rate of speed. Detectives determined that several of the shell casings were discharged prior to the video, as the shell casings were found closer to the BMW than the Toyota, and were consistent with the accounts of the suspect shooting at the victims after exiting the BMW.
On March 2, a deputy observed a gray BMW 335 driving north on Highway 58, and said the vehicle and driver matched the description of the suspect from February. The deputy also said the driver’s side mirror was missing as well.
Law enforcement said they followed the BMW to Kennerly Court in Ooltewah and identified the man as Michael Shane Roberts, 55. Detectives said Roberts voluntarily gave the detectives a statement. Roberts told law enforcement he was in a “road rage” incident with the victim, and that Roberts followed him at 100 miles per hour to get information for a crash report after the victim hit his BMW.
Roberts said he followed the victim to his residence, and that the victim attacked him by breaking the BMW’s side mirror and pile-driving him into the ground. Roberts told law enforcement that he pulled his gun out because he was afraid that the victim would get a gun from the residence once the victim ran into the residence. Law enforcement said Roberts admitted to being angry and shooting up the Toyota. They said Roberts had contusions to his upper chest and an abrasion to his upper jaw, which was consistent with an altercation.
Detectives examined the BMW, and said they observed a slight denting to the “left front quarter panel” and said the left front mirror and housing had been broken off “consistent with the victim attacking the vehicle.” The detective said there was no damage to the rear panel of the BMW, and said ramming did not occur. They said the damage was more consistent with Roberts cutting the victim off and causing the victim to slightly tap the Toyota.
When the detective asked about Roberts’ firearm, they said the suspect lied and told them his gun was at his mother’s residence. When detectives told him they could and would speak to his mother and get a warrant to find the firearm, law enforcement said Roberts admitted to the gun being hidden in his garage. The gun was identified as a .40 S&W caliber Smith and Wesson semi-automatic handgun. Law enforcement also found a loaded magazine in the interior of the BMW in between the center console and the passenger’s seat.
Roberts was then photographed by law enforcement, and the two victims later identified him as the man who shot at them during the incident.