Canton woman describes violent road rage shooting

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Bullet holes and shattered glass are what remains after investigators said a road rage incident in Cherokee County turned violent.

Sam Thomas said he was driving on Interstate 575 southbound just before 11 p.m. Wednesday night when she saw someone fast approaching and then started riding her bumper. She thought she would get the guy to back off by turning on her windshield wipers and spraying water fluid.

“I ended up in the left lane, in front of him, and he started riding my butt then. And I splashed him with wiper fluid. Didn’t think it was a big deal. Thought it was funny. He then he ended up going around me staying in the right lane until I got close to him, swerved over to run me off and I hit my brakes and then he purposely slowed down and got right behind me; very, very close, dangerous close. And was riding my bumper then and I still thought it was a good idea to splash him with wiper fluid,” said Thomas.

Within minutes, the 23-year-old Canton woman found the car beside her.

“I really thought he was going to get off the exit and then I heard two loud sounds and I was upset, ‘Wow, he threw something at my car! That's going to cause a lot of damage.’ And immediately my window shattered and there's glass all over me,” said Thomas.

Thomas said the car immediately pulled off the Chastain Road exit and it was not until later she realized it was not a rock, but bullets that hit her car. It shattered her passenger window and another probably cracked her front windshield. To make matters worse, what she learned at the hospital a bullet fragment is lodged in her right arm.

“This isn't that bad of a wound, but in the end, I got shot at. I mean, people die from that. So, that’s... I do, I feel lucky to be alive and come home to my family and hug them. And be able to say ‘I love you’ in person,” said Thomas.

Thomas is trying to figure out what she did that was bad enough to warrant another driver to open fire on her. She said she never thought in a million years she would be shot at over something so trivial.

“Maybe there was a newborn in my car, maybe I had a passenger he killed. He doesn’t know. He drove away and he doesn’t know if he hurt or killed someone,” said Thomas.

Thomas said the doctor did look at the bullet fragment in her arm and determined it would cause more harm to try to remove it.

“I'm lucky, I’m here, I’m good. I don't want someone else to have a different outcome,” said Thomas.

She described the other car as a dark-colored Chrysler PT Cruiser, possibly navy or black. Anyone with information is asked to the Cobb County Police Department.