Update: Man Charged In I-20 Road Rage Incident

IRONDALE, AL - A man who police initially thought was a victim in a road rage incident in June has now been charged with a felony by Irondale police. Joshua McClinton, 22, has been charged with shooting into an occupied vehicle. He has not yet been arrested.

The June 21 incident, which involved two vehicles traveling westbound on I-20 before the Interstate 459 south ramp, resulted in gunfire being exchanged between the drivers of the two vehicles involved.

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McClinton reported to Irondale Police that he was being harassed by another man who he said had cut him off on the road, and further reported that this led to the suspect pulling out "what appeared to be an AK-47" and fired at him. Sergeant Michael Mangina from the Irondale Police Department said that the weapon he fired was actually a pistol. McClinton reportedly returned fire with his own gun.

After police arrived at the scene they discovered at least nine holes in McClinton's car and the passenger side window was shot out. A passenger was riding with him during the incident.

A report by Alabama Media Group said detectives presented their findings to the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office which deemed McClinton was the aggressor. Mangina previously said the situation could have been tragic, with shots being exchanged on a busy interstate during morning rush-hour traffic. "This is ridiculous,'' Mangina said. "People have got to stop being stupid."

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