Honking car horn leads to violent road rage incident in Rock Hill, authorities say

ROCK HILL, S.C. — A man was arrested after showing a gun during a road rage incident in Rock Hill, according to police.

On Wednesday, before 10:15 a.m., Rock Hill police said they were flagged down by a male victim who said another man had flashed a gun at him near Dave Lyle Boulevard and Galleria Boulevard.

The victim told police he had honked at another driver for blocking the roadway and the driver responded by showing a firearm.

Officers stopped the suspected vehicle not far away, near Interstate 77.

Cedric Alston, 39, of Rock Hill, said his stick-shift vehicle spun out and stalled in the middle of the road.

Alston, who had a handgun holster attached to his belt, told police that when the other driver honked his horn, he leaned over to grab a phone he had dropped and believes the other driver saw the gun in his holster.

Alston said the gun was in the center console of the car. Officers found a loaded black 9mm handgun in the car. Alston did not have a valid concealed carry permit for the gun.

Officers placed Alston under arrest for pointing and presenting a firearm. He was also ticketed for driving with a suspended driver’s license, police said.

A similar incident happened two weeks ago, where a victim told police he honked his horn because the driver in front of him was stopped at a green light. The victim said that driver eventually started yelling at him and pulled out a gun.

“There’s traffic everyday out here. People blowing horns nonstop as soon as the light turns green. You don’t even get a chance to step on your gas,” one driver said.

Rock Hill Police sent Channel 9′s Tina Terry South Carolina’s horn law, which says driver can blow their horns “when reasonably necessary to ensure safe operation.”

North Carolina law says car horns should be used as “a reasonable warning.”

With road rage incidents on the rise, officers are warning people to use car horns the right way.

“That horn is put on that vehicle as an emergency tool. It is to warn other drivers should someone pull out in front of you,” said North Carolina Trooper Ray Pierce. “It is not put on there to be used to take out your aggressions, or to pass along to someone your feelings of how their driving is conducted, whether it be bad or good.”

(WATCH BELOW: Police searching for suspect accused of fatally shooting CATS bus driver during road rage incident)

Police searching for suspect accused of fatally shooting CATS bus driver during road rage incident

©2022 Cox Media Group