Uniondale man, 72, swings wooden baton at victim in road rage incident, Nassau police say
A road rage incident between two men in Uniondale on Friday afternoon ended with one man facing an assault charge and both being taken to the hospital, according to the Nassau County Police Department.
The incident happened just before 3:30 p.m. on Friday when 72-year-old Matthew Otto and another man began arguing because one was "driving a little erratically" near the intersection of Greengrove Avenue and Front Street, a Nassau police spokesman told Newsday on Saturday morning.
Both men got out of their vehicles and Otto pulled a "wooden baton" out of his trunk, Nassau police said in a news release. The baton was similar to a billy club, the police spokesman said, which is illegal to possess in New York State.
Nassau police said Otto swung the club at the 69-year-old victim, which made the latter "fear for his life." The police spokesman said the victim did "defend himself" and Otto clubbed him in the arm, but did not provide further details about the skirmish
Otto also smashed the windows of the victim’s 2018 Toyota Camry, according to the police news release.
Otto was arrested "without further incident" when police arrived and both men were transported to hospitals for evaluation and treatment, police said in the release.
Otto, a Uniondale resident, was charged with criminal mischief, criminal possession of a weapon and second-degree assault.
Nassau police said Otto "will be arraigned when medically practical."
A road rage incident between two men in Uniondale on Friday afternoon ended with one man facing an assault charge and both being taken to the hospital, according to the Nassau County Police Department.
The incident happened just before 3:30 p.m. on Friday when 72-year-old Matthew Otto and another man began arguing because one was "driving a little erratically" near the intersection of Greengrove Avenue and Front Street, a Nassau police spokesman told Newsday on Saturday morning.
Both men got out of their vehicles and Otto pulled a "wooden baton" out of his trunk, Nassau police said in a news release. The baton was similar to a billy club, the police spokesman said, which is illegal to possess in New York State.
Nassau police said Otto swung the club at the 69-year-old victim, which made the latter "fear for his life." The police spokesman said the victim did "defend himself" and Otto clubbed him in the arm, but did not provide further details about the skirmish
Otto also smashed the windows of the victim’s 2018 Toyota Camry, according to the police news release.
Otto was arrested "without further incident" when police arrived and both men were transported to hospitals for evaluation and treatment, police said in the release.
Otto, a Uniondale resident, was charged with criminal mischief, criminal possession of a weapon and second-degree assault.
Nassau police said Otto "will be arraigned when medically practical."
Sam Kmack covers the Town of Islip for Newsday. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California and previously worked as a city watchdog reporter in the Phoenix metro area, as well as an investigative journalist at the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting.
This is a modal window.
Suffolk State of the County ... Fitness Fix: Stroller Mamas ... Get the latest news and more great videos at NewsdayTV
Top Stories
This is a modal window.
Suffolk State of the County ... Fitness Fix: Stroller Mamas ... Get the latest news and more great videos at NewsdayTV
