Road rage lands 68-year-old man in hospital

MARIETTA, Ga. - Police in Marietta said a vicious case of road rage put a 68-year-old man in the hospital. Police said he was beaten with a tire iron.

Doug McConnell said he and his buddy, John Stephens were driving on South Cobb Drive when a vehicle pulled out in front of them.

"To keep from hitting him, I blew my horn at him, then went around him," said McConnell.

McConnell said the female passenger leaned out the window and started yelling at him. McConnell said the vehicle followed his truck for three miles to the intersection of Fairground and Roswell streets in Marietta. He said everyone got out of their vehicles. Stephens said the driver came after him with a tire iron.

"He swung at me four or five times, and he came toward me and I fell backwards, boom," said Stephens.

Stephens said the driver then went after McConnell and hit him until he was unconscious.

"He could have killed him, I thought he was dead he hit him so hard," said Stephens.

McConnell was rushed to the hospital with numerous injuries.

"He hit me across the neck, on the head, knocked out all my teeth," said McConnell.

Marietta Police said they've determined who owns the car and they're now trying to figure out who was driving it that night.

"We would love to get to the bottom of this and know exactly who caused this," said Marietta Police Officer Chuck McPhilamy.

McConnell said the driver was less than half his age, and doesn't know what could have angered him so much.

"There wasn’t anything that happened that could upset somebody to that degree. I'm closer to 70 than I am to 60, he shouldn't even have been messing with me," said McConnell.