A road rage incident in California ended in gunfire as two men died while young children watched the horrific incident from a car.
Johnathan McConnell of Corona, 38, and Aaron Harris of Highland, 37, got into a violent confrontation that initially started as a hit-and-run on the 210 Freeway before tragically ending in a bar parking lot, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office.
Around 8pm Saturday McConnell was weaving in and out of lanes on a motorcycle when he collided with a sedan driven by Harris.
Harris then followed the motorcyclist into the parking lot while his two children, two and five, rode in the backseat. The two men then fatally shot each other.
‘It could have been so incredibly simple. Unfortunately, we have two people who lost their lives instead,’ Mara Rodriguez, a spokesperson with the San Bernardino County sheriff’s department told Abc 7.
Johnathan McConnell of Corona, 38, and Aaron Harris of Highland, 37, shot and killed each other in a parking lot in front of Joy’s Lounge bar (pictured) on Saturday after colliding with each other the freeway
Harris (pictured) followed the motorcyclist into the parking lot while his two children, two and five, rode in the backseat
Harris’ children were not physically harmed but a man at the scene was injured after being shot in the hand.
At the time of the accident, instead of pulling over after clipping the sedan, McConnell continued to drive.
Once he reached Joy’s Bar and Lounge on Baseline Street, McConnell ‘met with several people known to him’ in the parking lot.
Harris soon pulled into the same lot after following McConnell from the Freeway.
The father then started to yell at McConnell as the pair became ‘confrontational,’ Rodriguez said.
‘They were both armed, and a shooting occurred, and the two of them both ended up deceased at the end of the night,’ she added.
When officers arrived at the scene they attempted to save the men before they were rushed to the hospital where they were later pronounced dead
When officers arrived at the scene they attempted to save the men before they were rushed to the hospital where they were later pronounced dead.
Footage of the grim scene showed crime scene investigators sectioning off the parking lot with yellow tape.
A GoFundMe page was created by Harris’ sister Crystal to raise money for his funeral.
‘My brother was silly but also a great father, family man and always willing to be of help if needed,’ Crystal said.
‘This incident has left our family hurt and saddened by his loss.’
Other friends and family members of Harris shared their heartbreak as his cousin Quinten Carr told KTLA: ‘He was a father, cousin, brother, a loving friend.’
‘He was a playful person and the life of the party. He kept everyone laughing for sure.’
Other loved ones took to Facebook and honored the late father.
‘I wish I could go bacc [sic] to this day… I was on the phone with u when u posted this…I’m lost out here bro,’ one said under a post Harris made on the morning he died.
Another said: ‘Not Aaron Harris I will miss you soooo much.’
McConnell has not yet been pictured. DailyMail.com contacted the San Bernardino Country Sheriff’s Office.
A GoFundMe page was created by Harris’ sister Crystal to raise money for his funeral. He was described by his sister as a ‘family man’. (pictured: Harris and his family)
Harris’ cousin Quinten Carr said he was a ‘playful person and the life of the party’
On May 31, a road rage brawl between two men outside the Los Angeles International Airport left an elderly woman unconscious on the ground and in critical condition.
Appalling surveillance footage showed the victim checking on her luggage curbside as the two men fighting run towards where she’s standing.
As the men ran off the sidewalk and into the street during the brawl, one of them is seen hitting the woman on the head, knocking her unconscious.
Officials told KTLA the woman was rushed to the hospital with major injuries.
She has since recovered and has been released from the hospital.
California recently came in as one of the worst states for road rage in the country, according to Forbes.
It ranked third (47.5%) in terms of being cut off by other people, fourth (32%) in insults and seventh (60.5%) in tailgating.
California also has the eighth-highest (11%) percentage of drivers who say another person sharing the road has exited their vehicle to fight or yell with them.
