UPDATE: MPD files charges against 1 in traffic-stopping rush-hour fight

UPDATE: 4:15 p.m. July 3:

Maricopa public safety spokeswoman Monica Williams said Maricopa Police Department investigators have reviewed the road-rage incident and a written report was entered into the system.

“Officers did make contact with both parties involved and were able to review surveillance video from the area and identified an instigator of the incident,” Williams said.  “Long-form charges were submitted for one individual.”

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There’s a time and place for everything — but when it comes to fist fighting, the middle of Maricopa’s main throughfare during rush hour traffic is neither.

An anonymous Facebook user in the Maricopa 347 Rants group shared two videos of a co-ed fistfight at the city’s busiest intersection yesterday afternoon.

Footage from a dashcam and a cell phone shows two people in the left turn lanes on southbound North John Wayne Parkway at West Smith-Enke Road.

The male driver of a Chevrolet Silverado with a company logo on the side is seen exchanging blows with the female driver of a Lexus ES200 in the roadway with both cars in park.

The Lexus driver is seen getting back in her car — then, the Chevy driver emerges with an item resembling a pipe or baseball bat and uses it to strike her driver’s side window.

Maricopa police were called to the scene but could not find either road rager.

“We received a report around 6:23 p.m. involving a Lexus,” confirmed Monica Williams, the city’s public safety spokesperson. “The vehicle was not located when officers responded.”

This is one of several recent road rage incidents in the city.

Last year, Forbes ranked Arizona as the state with the most confrontational drivers , with 4 in 5 drivers reporting that they had been yelled at, insulted or threatened while driving in the state.

Half of Arizonans said they’d been cut off on purpose and blocked from changing lanes. One in 5 reported being forced off the road.

About one-third of respondents said another driver has exited their vehicle to yell at or try to fight with them.

Just last week, cops arrested a landscaper accused of pointing a stolen gun at another driver in a Desert Passage road rage episode. In late May, a high school football coach was arrested and fired after he threatened to kill a young woman at another busy Maricopa intersection.

The American Automobile Association told InMaricopa there are a few behaviors that seem to enrage other drivers, including cutting someone off, driving slowly in the left lane, tailgating and obscene gestures. AAA noted most road rage incidents go unreported.

AAA said there are a few things drivers can do to help prevent road rage.

• Don’t offend: Never cause another driver to change their speed or direction. That means not forcing another driver to use their brakes or turn the steering wheel in response to something you have done.

• Be tolerant and forgiving: The other driver may just be having a really bad day. Assume that it’s not personal.

• Do not react: Avoid eye contact, don’t make gestures, maintain space around your vehicle and contact 9-1-1 if needed.

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