In September 2012, an altercation on the Kilpatrick Turnpike turned deadly during a confrontation in a northwest Oklahoma City Target parking lot. The alleged road rage incident left one man dead and another charged with first degree murder.
Now, just over two years later, the trial of David Edward Bloebaum is scheduled to begin on Monday. Bloebaum, 59, is charged with one count of first degree murder and two counts of carrying a firearm without a permit in the shooting death of Jasen Yousif, 29.
Bloebaum's defense attorney says that his client acted in self defense when he shot a knife-wielding man who aggressively approached his vehicle. Witnesses reported seeing a knife fall from Yousif's hands when he was shot.
Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater tells a different story, saying that Bloebaum followed Yousif into the Target parking lot, baited him to his vehicle, and then shot him five times--including three times in the back as Yousif tried to flee.
Witnesses say that Bloebaum called police to report a "man down." They say that he prevented bystanders from rendering aid to the injured Yousif.
Investigators say they do not know exactly what transpired that led to the parking lot confrontation, but that they believe the incident to be related to road rage. Within days of the killing, Oklahoma City Police Sergeant Gary Knight told reporters, "It's unclear what led up to it. We do know the two were driving very aggressively. One appeared to be chasing the other."
David Bloebaum has been held without bond in the Oklahoma County Jail since September 28, 2012.
"Road Rage" defines any aggressive behavior exhibited by a driver who becomes angry at some real or perceived slight in a traffic incident. Typically, road rage involves only yelling or rude or obscene gestures, but when a driver has anger management difficulties, the incidents can become quite dangerous.
Incidents that precipitate may be as minor as one vehicle travelling too slowly for the aggressive driver's taste, or it can be more serious, where one driver nearly causes an accident, prompting the other driver's rage.
Last week, police in San Francisco made an arrest in the late summer road rage shooting of a pedestrian. In that case, the pedestrian was crossing the street at a crosswalk when he was nearly struck by a vehicle that failed to yield. The pedestrian yelled at the driver, who then came to a screeching stop and fired a gun back at the pedestrian. He missed, and then backed up to shoot the man he nearly ran over moments before. Easy Chang, 25, is charged with attempted murder and assault with a firearm.
