Road Rage Trial to Begin Today

A man accused of chasing and repeatedly ramming a teenage driver into opposing traffic during a fit of road rage, will have his day in court Monday.

Opening arguments are slated to begin in the trial of Robert Allen Barnhart, a 54-year-old Bellflower man charged with two felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon and one misdemeanor count of battery.

According to prosecutors, Barnhart was driving his Dodge Ram truck on Bloomfield Avenue in Los Alamitos just before 11 a.m. one morning in November 2011. When he stopped at a light, an 18-year-old rear-ended him. That’s when Barnhart got out of his truck and began yelling at and threatening the 18-year-old, according to police.

Prosecutors contend the teenager attempted to flee Barnhart in his car, initiating a wild chase through the city.

The Orange County District Attorney’s office released a statement describing the wild scene:

“Barnhart is accused of purposely swerving, using the right rear bumper of his truck to hit the front of the victim’s driver-side bumper, causing the victim’s vehicle to spin out into the opposite lane of traffic. The victim then attempted to drive away on the wrong side of the road.

“The defendant is accused of speeding up and continuing to chase the victim’s vehicle. Barnhart is accused of getting in front of the victim’s vehicle and immediately swerving and braking, causing John Doe’s vehicle to slam into the passenger side of the defendant’s truck and blocking the victim from driving.

“Barnhart is accused of getting out of his truck, opening the victim’s driver side door and pulling the victim out of the car, throwing him to the ground, and punching the victim with his fists. Witnesses at the scene restrained the defendant and contacted the Los Alamitos Police Department, who arrested Barnhart at the scene.”