A shocking video shows a USAir Force sergeant pointing a gun at a 19-year-old motorist during a road rage incident, following which he was arrested. The sergeant, 40-year-old Charles Bass, was seen rebuking the young woman for her driving. “Do you want to f****** die?” he yelled.
Shi'Anna Bamba, the victim, told ABC15 that on December 5, she was accused of cutting off a truck after rolling up to a stop alongside the sergeant. However, she denied the allegation.
Bamba, from Arizona, said she recorded the video out of fear. Bass is seen in the video directly pointing his gun at the terrified teen. She said she failed to realise the kind of danger she was in when she was first confronted by Bass. “The first time he pulled it up, it didn't really hit me,” Bamba said.
Bamba said that before the incident, she had just dropped off her sibling at school. According to court records, she cut off a truck. However, Bamba said she “didn't even attempt to switch lanes yet.”
Bamba recalled how scared she was when she saw she was pulling up beside Bass at the stop light. “Then I heard him say, ‘Did you want to die?” Bamba said.
{{/usCountry}}Bamba recalled how scared she was when she saw she was pulling up beside Bass at the stop light. “Then I heard him say, ‘Did you want to die?” Bamba said.
{{/usCountry}}Bamba was horrified when she saw the gun, and called her mother right after pulling away. She later approached the police and showed them the video, following which Bass was arrested on December 15. The Surprise Police Department, US Marshals and the Air Force took him into custody.
Bass admitted that he was involved in the road rage incident but also blamed Bamba for her driving. He claimed he pointed the gun “because of his PTSD and hypervigilance issues” in the heat of the moment. He also said “he did not know why” he kept pointing the gun even though he saw the driver was a teenage girl.
“There’s nothing I could say out of my mouth that could threaten you that much to have a finger on the trigger, and I was in the car by myself,” Bamba said.
Bass has been booked on charges including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The US Air Force has confirmed that the incident is under investigation.