Irving Man Who Pulled Gun In Road Rage Incident Speaks
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IRVING (CBS11) - An Irving man seen in a now viral video pointing a gun at a motorcyclist in Nevada said he felt his life was being threatened.
Rick Thorton, 54, said it is what people do not see in the heavily edited YouTube clip that pushed him over the edge.
"I wasn't taking any chances. He knocked on the window, I was ready for him," said Thorton.
Thorton, who is on a work trip in Henderson, Nevada, said a large group of motorcyclists were driving recklessly, almost hit him and he did not like their actions on the road.
"I flipped them off, no doubt about it," said Thorton.
But when the group started to surround his truck, Thorton said he felt threatened.
"When I declined his invitation to pull over the first time, that should have been enough," said Thorton.
Fearing for his safety, Thorton yanked out his pistol when he said one of the bikers got too close.
The biker who recorded the video has remained anonymous. He runs a YouTube page. The biker said it all started when a rider in his group drove off-road for a moment and had kicked up some dirt.
"I didn't really think it was going escalate to what it did and that's literally the first time I've gone up to somebody's window in traffic like that and it will be the last," said the biker.
While the biker regrets his actions, Thorton does not.
"Don't walk up to anybody, especially a Texan, and hope they're not packing," said Thorton.
Police are investigating.
Thorton said if he is charged, he will fight it in court.
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