An Ignacio man is accused of firing gunshots at another vehicle during a road rage incident in Bayfield.
Thomas Altenhoff, 56, was arrested on suspicion of felony menacing after he allegedly fired multiple shots at a truck driven by another person in the 1000 block of Bayfield Parkway, just west of the downtown area, on Tuesday night. At least one bullet hit the truck’s tailgate, but the truck driver was not injured, said Bayfield Police Chief Michael Hoguet.
Altenhoff was being held Wednesday at the La Plata County Jail on a $5,000 bail.
After meeting with the alleged victim, Bayfield police gathered evidence at the scene and learned the alleged shooter’s vehicle was headed south on Buck Highway (County Road 516).
Meanwhile, the La Plata County Sheriff’s Office, which was assisting with the case, spotted the alleged shooter’s vehicle near the intersection of Colorado Highway 172 and County Road 308, about several miles northwest of the Durango-La Plata County Airport.
Hoguet said police are trying to see if any stores on Bayfield Parkway have surveillance video that may have captured the incident, as the nature of the alleged road rage is still unknown.
“Everybody has to be a little bit more courteous on the streets and be a little bit more aware of their surroundings,” Hoguet said. “A lot of times, people don’t realize when they actually do cut somebody off or swerve over or anything like that.”
Hoguet also said drivers have so many personal items in their vehicles nowadays that distract them and may contribute to incidents of road rage.
As for how to teach drivers that road rage is not worth it?
“It’s a good question. A lot of it (is) … people just need to relax,” Hoguet said.
mhollinshead@durangoherald.com
