A commuter was so irked by a rush-hour driver that she pulled out a pistol and shot at the tires of a pickup truck that got too close

George Hunter:

Tailgaters, take heed. Flustered motorists these days are packing more than middle fingers, police say.

In what may have been an extreme example of road rage, Macomb County Sheriff's deputies say a commuter was so irked by a rush-hour driver Thursday that she pulled out a pistol and shot at the tires of a pickup truck that got too close. No one was hurt.

Questioned by authorities after her arrest, Bernadette Headd's defense was short and sweet, Macomb County Sheriff Mark Hackel said.

"She said she was tired of people tailgating her," he said.

The trouble began when Headd, 39, of Macomb Township drove her Chevy Cavalier onto westbound Interstate 94 near M-59 about 8 a.m. and moved into the fast lane. Shortly afterward, a 46-year-old New Baltimore man in a Dodge Ram loomed behind her, said Sheriff's Capt. Anthony Wickersham.

"The man apparently got pretty close to her bumper, then pulled into the center lane," Wickersham said. "She then pulled out a 9 mm handgun and fired one round at the truck's tires."

The man in the pickup again navigated his vehicle behind Headd and followed her as she exited the freeway at 16 Mile.

He flagged down a deputy who stopped Headd and found the gun, Wickersham said.

The gun was registered and Headd had a concealed weapons permit, but police couldn't find the shell casing, Wickersham said. She confessed to deputies, he said.

She was charged in 41-B District Court with assault with a deadly weapon, a four-year felony; discharge of a firearm from a motor vehicle, also four-year felony; and felony firearm, a two-year felony. Bond was set at $50,000 cash or surety.

Hate tailgaters? Just shoot me, too

Armed Idiot and an Annoying Tailgater is a bad mix