'Scary and Disrespectful' Road Rage in Pleasanton Caught on Camera

By AUTUMN JOHNSON

A Pleasanton man says he and his girlfriend were followed, harassed and verbally attacked for nearly 30 minutes by a woman driving through Pleasanton last week. 

Jonathan Hurley posted a short video to YouTube showing the unidentified woman and a few seconds of the incident which took place on May 14.

The video, filmed from inside Hurley's car, shows the woman making gestures and yelling ethnic slurs at the Asian couple in the car. The video has garnered almost 8,000 views since it was posted over the weekend. 

Hurley, who is originally from South Korea, says the incident started on a residential street in Pleasanton. Hurley believes the woman may live in his neighborhood. 

According to Hurley, he and his girlfriend were just leaving their neighborhood off of Bernal Avenue to get onto the I-680 north when the incident that he calls "scary and disrespectful" began.
"It started when she was driving thru the neighborhood and I was in the middle of a roundabout (I was there way before she was). I heard her speed up at the roundabout and she tailgated through our neighborhood. She flipped me off at a light from behind so I just looked in my rearview and didn't move. She then pulled up next to me at the next light (I was in the left turn lane getting on I-680) and she was in the lane next to me SITTING THROUGH GREEN LIGHTS. She rolled down her window, started shouting "Hey you, YOU F***ING GOOKS, YOU F***ING GOOKS!" [She] made several other racist remarks, squinted her eyes and made them look like "Asian eyes" and then proceeded to go from the green STRAIGHT lane and cut across a red light to cut me off getting on the freeway. I wish I had taped all of it... She pulled in front of my car on the freeway on ramp and I was making a left. She pulled in front of me and went about 2 mph up the freeway ramp for a few minutes, not letting any traffic pass her... Waiting for me. She then got on the freeway still shouting at us from her car next to us. She then got behind us and tailgated us and followed us for about 15-20 minutes."

Hurley, who told Patch he did nothing to instigate the incident, called 9-1-1 and spoke to both Pleasanton Police and the California Highway Patrol to report the incident as it was happening. 

During the encounter, Hurley says he and his girlfriend were almost forced off of the road several times as the woman allegedly swerved in and out of traffic to catch up with the couple.

Hurley says CHP officers were sent to the area and dispatchers told him to get away from the suspect. Hurley does not believe a report was taken from either agency documenting the incident.

According to Hurley, the woman's car had dealer plates although he says he would recognize her face should he see her again.

Neither the California Highway Patrol nor Pleasanton Police have yet been reached for comment.