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A Grass Valley man is set to be arraigned Nov. 23 in a confrontation that left another man pinned between his vehicle and a tractor-trailer. Both men claim to be the victim in the road rage incident, however.
William E. Lewis is facing charges of assault with a deadly weapon and reckless driving in the incident, which happened just before 11 a.m. on Oct. 30.
The alleged victim, Jeff Ramirez, of North San Juan, said he was exiting an aisle of a parking lot on Freeman Lane when he first noticed a driver coming straight toward him, “waving his arms, screaming and honking his horn.
“I just thought he was trying to stop me,” Ramirez said. “I thought I had backed into a shopping cart or was dragging a dead body, I don't know.”
Ramirez, who said he walks with a cane and is set to have surgery on his back and neck, got out of his truck on a section of the road that was partially blocked by a parked tractor-trailer.
“He came skidding up to me,” Ramirez said.
Ramirez approached the driver side window and that's when Lewis pinned him, he said.
“He smiled and gunned it,” Ramirez said, pinning him between his truck and the parked tractor-trailer.
“I was screaming because he was crushing me,” he said. “He was gunning his engine. Then he started backing away.”
Ramirez said he fell to the ground and Lewis exited his vehicle.
“He started yelling I had a gun,” Ramirez said. “He told the cops I was reaching in the back of my pants, but I was reaching in my front pocket with my left hand for my phone.”
Ramirez was taken to Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital. He said he sustained internal bruising and possible fractures in his wrist, thumb and toe.
Lewis said he was just trying to get away from Ramirez when he accidentally pinned him.
“I'm 54 years old, I'm a member of the Oddfellows Lodge, I'm a two-term Vietnam vet and a very peaceful man,” he said Friday.
Ramirez was driving “way too fast” in the aisle of the parking lot and cut him off, forcing him to take evasive action, Lewis said.
“I honked — I didn't sit on the horn,” Lewis said.
Ramirez responded by stopping and blocking him in, then jumped out of his vehicle and approached in an aggressive, angry manner, he said.
“He was swinging his arms,” Lewis said. “For a second, I thought he might be reaching for something.”
Ramirez approached his open window and got within three feet, Lewis said.
“I thought he was going to hit me,” he said. “I had to make a decision, I just wanted to get away from this guy.”
Because he was blocked in, Lewis tried to go to the right, but he said his wheels were pointing left.
“I gassed it, I moved about two feet, three tops,” he said. “I accidentally pinned him, but I was trying to escape.”
Lewis acknowledged that Ramirez got “pinched” between his truck and the tractor-trailer, but said he backed off immediately.
“I was fearful for my life,” he said. “I was scared to death he was going to beat the h--- out of me.”
To contact Staff Writer Liz Kellar, e-mail lkellar@theunion.com or call 477-4229.
William E. Lewis is facing charges of assault with a deadly weapon and reckless driving in the incident, which happened just before 11 a.m. on Oct. 30.
The alleged victim, Jeff Ramirez, of North San Juan, said he was exiting an aisle of a parking lot on Freeman Lane when he first noticed a driver coming straight toward him, “waving his arms, screaming and honking his horn.
“I just thought he was trying to stop me,” Ramirez said. “I thought I had backed into a shopping cart or was dragging a dead body, I don't know.”
Ramirez, who said he walks with a cane and is set to have surgery on his back and neck, got out of his truck on a section of the road that was partially blocked by a parked tractor-trailer.
“He came skidding up to me,” Ramirez said.
Ramirez approached the driver side window and that's when Lewis pinned him, he said.
“He smiled and gunned it,” Ramirez said, pinning him between his truck and the parked tractor-trailer.
“I was screaming because he was crushing me,” he said. “He was gunning his engine. Then he started backing away.”
Ramirez said he fell to the ground and Lewis exited his vehicle.
“He started yelling I had a gun,” Ramirez said. “He told the cops I was reaching in the back of my pants, but I was reaching in my front pocket with my left hand for my phone.”
Ramirez was taken to Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital. He said he sustained internal bruising and possible fractures in his wrist, thumb and toe.
Lewis said he was just trying to get away from Ramirez when he accidentally pinned him.
“I'm 54 years old, I'm a member of the Oddfellows Lodge, I'm a two-term Vietnam vet and a very peaceful man,” he said Friday.
Ramirez was driving “way too fast” in the aisle of the parking lot and cut him off, forcing him to take evasive action, Lewis said.
“I honked — I didn't sit on the horn,” Lewis said.
Ramirez responded by stopping and blocking him in, then jumped out of his vehicle and approached in an aggressive, angry manner, he said.
“He was swinging his arms,” Lewis said. “For a second, I thought he might be reaching for something.”
Ramirez approached his open window and got within three feet, Lewis said.
“I thought he was going to hit me,” he said. “I had to make a decision, I just wanted to get away from this guy.”
Because he was blocked in, Lewis tried to go to the right, but he said his wheels were pointing left.
“I gassed it, I moved about two feet, three tops,” he said. “I accidentally pinned him, but I was trying to escape.”
Lewis acknowledged that Ramirez got “pinched” between his truck and the tractor-trailer, but said he backed off immediately.
“I was fearful for my life,” he said. “I was scared to death he was going to beat the h--- out of me.”
To contact Staff Writer Liz Kellar, e-mail lkellar@theunion.com or call 477-4229.
