Chicago Realtor Sues Over Negative 'Road Rage' Video

A Chicago real estate broker portrayed as the alleged aggressor in a viral “road rage” video is suing a former colleague and his employee for slander and libel.

Martin Vigil filed a lawsuit May 18 in Cook County Circuit Court against Chicago real estate brokers Erickson Ocasio and Mirzo Rodriquez.

Also named in the lawsuit is the driver in the alleged road rage incident, Auburn-Gresham resident Maduabuchti “B.O.” Okeke, who is being sued for assault and battery.

The plaintiff, Vigil, contends that both defendants made false statements to the media after he and Okeke got into a confrontation in front of the Rogers Park realty office where Ocasio is a resident broker.

Vigil was eventually charged with misdemeanor counts of simple battery and received two traffic citations. The criminal matter is set for trial on Aug. 3, said a spokesman for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office.

According to the civil suit, Vigil was stopped at a traffic light on March 16, 2015, at the intersection of Broadway and Sheridan. Vigil claims Okeke became irate because he didn’t think Vigil got out of the intersection fast enough for Okeke to get through the red light.

Vigil maintains Okeke got of his Toyota Camry and started pounding on Vigil’s Audi A4, stating, “I’m going to kill you.”

“Horrified” and in “fear for his life,” Vigil says he tried to escape from Okeke and drove through the intersection. He said Okeke pursued him for three miles while Vigil was “desperately speaking with 911 requesting police protection.” During the pursuit, Vigil claims Okeke alternately attempted to stop or run him off the road.

Okeke allegedly pursued Vigil through Rogers Park to the 1200 block of West Morse Avenue. Coincidentally, the lawsuit contends both cars came to a stop adjacent to the realty office of Vigil’s former colleague and defendant, Erickson Ocasio.

News reports stated that Okeke followed the real estate broker because Vigil hit his car at Broadway and Sheridan and then tried to flee the scene.

Okeke got out of his car a second time and began to kick Vigil’s vehicle while threatening to kill him. Okeke “unleashed a series of kicks and blows” to Vigil’s car, and hit it with a metal rod busting out the driver’s side window, the lawsuit alleges.

Vigil purports he “desperately tried to escape defendant B.O.’s vicious assault and threats by driving away, but his efforts were thwarted because he was surrounded and boxed in by several other parked cars.”

A security camera in Ocasio’s office captured Vigil’s confrontation with Okeke on video that was originally posted on DNAInfo and aired on several local TV news stations. The lawsuit contends that Ocasio edited the security video to “falsely make it appear that the plaintiff and not the defendant [Okeke] with the metal rod was the aggressor.”

The video shows both drivers in a violent battle on the streets of Rogers Park. As one driver kicks and hits the window of the other car with what appears to be a rod, the second driver repeatedly rams the other car.

The complaint alleges Ocasio then called the news media and presented them with the altered and edited security video. He also claims Ocasio falsely stated to police and news media that Vigil threatened to kill him “when Ocasio knew the plaintiff had never spoken to him.”

In addition, Ocasio allegedly conspired with the third defendant, employee Mirza Rodriquez. Vigil charges that Ocasio told Rodriquez to make false statements about Vigil to the media “in support of [Ocasio’s] scheme to discredit the plaintiff, his competitor in the real estate business.”

Rodriquez told ABC 7 Chicago in March that she felt “scared” watching Vigil backing into Okeke’s car she thought Okeke “would get run over.”

According to Vigil, Ocasio was motivated to “defame and injure” him because Vigil won an unrelated lawsuit against the defendant. Both defendants’ alleged “purposeful” false statements have caused Vigil to continue to suffer “enormous” injury in the marketplace.

Based on Ocasio’s and Rodriquez’s “fabricated evidence and baseless accusations,” the court complaint states that “news outlets, blogs and the like” have “republished one-sided stories.”

The plaintiff is suing for damages in excess of $300,000. Vigil had no comment when reached by phone. The defendants could not immediately be reached for comment.

Vigil appears to be representing himself in the civil suit.