AKRON, Ohio — Akron police have decided to charge a 39-year-old man in a road rage incident in Akron despite allegations of self-defense due to additional testimony and evidence.

News 5 has new information on a road rage incident in the area of ​​South Arlington and East Market Street that became violent.

This comes after Akron Police Capt. Michael Miller made 911 calls, including those from the 39-year-old man involved.

“A guy hit my car. He was in the bike lane and I wouldn’t let him get into my lane. He hit my car and when I yelled at him, he pointed a gun at me and I shot back,” the 39-year-old suspect said.

Originally, Capt. Michael Miller said he listed the 39-year-old driver and the 78-year-old man with a gunshot wound to the face as victims and suspects.

But Miller said things changed after he said officers reviewed the 39-year-old’s self-defense statement, then compared it to what witnesses said with additional physical and digital evidence and had decided to charge him with criminal assault.

“We were stopped, I swore at him and told him to stop and he pointed a gun at me,” said the 39-year-old suspect.

“They just didn’t believe, the detectives as a collective, that the explanation or the vigilante component of this really had any merit,” Miller said.

According to preliminary reports, a minor two-vehicle accident occurred on East Market Street when police said the victim’s vehicle struck the other vehicle, causing minor damage.

Authorities said the 39-year-old driver of the other vehicle allegedly fired several shots, with one hitting the victim and 911 callers assisting him until they arrived teams.

“He has a pink rag around his face right now,” a 911 caller said.

After the shooting, police said the 39-year-old man left the scene.

That’s when the man finally called dispatch, and officers located him and took him into custody without further incident.

“We do not believe the victim did anything to instigate or provoke this situation. It really just depends on the individual’s decision to escalate a problem that was initially just a minor accident and choose to use a gun,” Miller said.

Miller said the 39-year-old’s perspective is not up to his department to determine at this point, beyond the initial investigation.

As for the 78-year-old, Miller said he is expected to survive.