Van’s driver sought in Friday night road rage

A Friday night road rage incident between the driver of van and a couple on a motorcycle ended with the two motorcycle riders being treated for minor injuries. The fight began when the van moved into the motorcycle’s lane while southbound on Newport Highway, forcing the motorcyclist to swerve. The drivers argued and the van cut the motorcycle off again. The motorcyclist then parked when traffic was backed up in the 7900 block of North Division and he and his female passenger approached the van driver and yelled at him “for almost killing them,” according to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office. The motorcyclist smashed out a side window on the van with his helmet, and the van backed over the driver, dragging him about 20 feet on his motorcycle. The man was freed as the van pulled onto Division, and he and the woman were treated for scrapes, cuts and road rash at a hospital. “Witnesses corroborated the couple’s testimony that the van’s driver adjusted the angle of the van before deliberately backing up and over the motorcycle,” according to a news release by Sgt. Dave Reagan. The van was described as a full-size black and silver Chevy with a side step and license plates that are registered to a church in Post Falls. Reagan declined to identify the church, saying he wasn’t sure the witness description was accurate. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Check at (509) 456-2233.