Video shows the moment a man took a swing at a Texas meteorologist following a road rage altercation.
Filmed in Austin, the distressing dashcam clip shows Avery Tomasco, a meteorologist at CBS Austin News, being attacked by an unnamed assailant after an encounter on a city highway.
Moments before, Tomasco – still in his car at this point – is seen attempting to merge onto one of the feeder roads that run adjacent to Texas freeways.
Another driver, piloting a Toyota Prius, proceeds to pull into Tomasco’s lane in front of him – leading to a fender bender after the weatherman failed to slow down.
After the collision, the Prius is continues to drive as if nothing happened, spurring Tomasco to drive after him into a nearby parking lot. The ensuing encounter was caught on Tomasco’s dashcam, which had a perfect view of both men.
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Video shows the moment a man took a swing at Texas meteorologist Avery Tomasco following a road rage altercation
‘He said one sentence with an obscenity in there – “you hit my blank car.” I said, “No, you hit my car.” That’s when he swung with his entire force,” Tomasco said in an interview this week, revealing he is pressing charges
‘I yelled for help and got away from him as quickly as I could,’ Tomasco recounted last week pf the attack, claiming he only exited his car to take pictures of the damage to his own vehicle, before he was accosted by the angry motorist.
‘Thankfully an off-duty police officer was nearby to help calm the situation and keep the peace,’ he added, revealing he is now pressing charges against the man in the footage.
Despite this, the meteorologist – who had his school-aged daughter in the car -was able to move his head enough so that that attacker only landed a glancing blow.
Footage shows how the motorist, an Asian man who appeared to be in his mid-30s, grazed Tomasco’s cheek with a mean-intentioned right hook – which was mostly absorbed by the weather expert’s shoulder.
‘It was a sucker punch,’ Tomasco further recalled in a video interview with his employer CBS Austin, still visibly shaken up by the ordeal.
‘He said one sentence with an obscenity in there – “you hit my blank car.” I said, “No, you hit my car.” And that’s when he swung with his entire force,” Avery recounted.
The footage – now being used as evidence – showed the attack in full.
Not containing audio, it shows the Prius driver approach Tomasco – who got his start as a meteorologist in small-town Abilene in 2015 – before a brief exchange of words.
Prior to the encounter, Tomasco – still in his car at this point – is seen attempting to merge onto one of the feeder roads that run adjacent to Texas freeways. The other driver, in a Toyota Prius, proceeds to pull into Tomasco’s lane in front of him – leading to a fender bender
After the collision, the Prius is continues to drive as if nothing happened, spurring Tomasco to drive after him into a nearby parking lot
The ensuing encounter was caught on Tomasco’s dashcam, which had a perfect view of both men
Footage shows how the motorist, an Asian man who appeared to be in his mid-30s, load up with a mean-intentioned right hook that was mostly absorbed by the weather man’s shoulder.
The meteorologist was able to move his head enough so that that attacker only landed a glancing blow – but says he is still pressing charges
Very quickly, the altercation devolves, with the other motorist loading up the wayward punch.
Throughout the encounter, Tomasco kept his arms at his sides, maintaining a peaceful stance.
In posts to Twitter following the encounter – and without revealing his attacker’s name – Tomasco vowed to seek justice against the punchy motorist.
‘Because of clear video evidence, I’m able to press charges and he will have an arrest warrant issued soon.’
He added of the potential suspect: ‘He will be taken to jail in the near future. His insurance will also have to fix my bumper and who knows what else.’
‘It was a sucker punch,’ Tomasco further recalled in a video interview with his employer CBS Austin, still visibly shaken up by the ordeal
In posts to Twitter following the encounter – and without revealing his attacker’s name – Tomasco vowed to seek justice against the punchy motorist
Tomasco got his start as a meteorologist in small-town Abilene in 2015, and has been reporting weather in the Lone Star State ever since
A family man with a wife and child, he said he is thankful he had a dashcam to record the encounter – and warned other motorists to use one as well
He added of the potential, still-unnamed suspect: ‘He will be taken to jail in the near future. His insurance will also have to fix my bumper and who knows what else’
On Twitter, Tomasco went on to urge others to buy a dashcam, given the dangers of road rage-related encounters despite their severity.
‘Ladies and gentlemen, BUY A DASHCAM,’ the Emmy Award winner insisted. ‘And use it religiously.’
More than a week later, Tomasco has yet to comment on whether an arrest involving the incident has been made. As of Thursday, it remains unclear whether a police report has been filed.
