Charges Upgraded to Manslaughter After Man Dies From Road Rage Incident Off I-10 in Lafayette
One man is dead and another has been booked on upgraded charges of manslaughter all stemming from a road rage incident back in April.
A developing report from our media partners at KATC connects the dots on an April 12 road rage incident that sent Samer Tobeh of Lafayette to the hospital after he was allegedly hit by Kirk Bourque of Butte LaRose.
According to an interview with Tobeh's wife, the incident started when the men were reportedly arguing in traffic on I-10.
Police initially said that Tobeh told officers he was arguing with Bourque in traffic and that he told Bourque to pull over so they could talk. They say that the two men were arguing on the Interstate and pulled over at the Louisiana Avenue exit. The two men then had a verbal argument, and Bourque allegedly hit Tobeh. Tobeh fell to the ground and was unconscious. Police say body cams show he was sitting up, with his eyes open, when officers arrived. He was then transported to the hospital without giving a statement.
A Facebook post from April 15 asked anyone with information to come forward.
The report said that Bourque allegedly left the scene before police arrived. He was eventually located and booked with second-degree battery charges on April 19. On May 2, Tobeh died from injuries he sustained in the April 12 incident. Bourque's charges were upgraded to manslaughter and he was booked once again.
Family members mourned his death on social media.
Tobeh was buried earlier today, while Bourque posted bond for the second time ($75,000 in addition to the initial $50,0000 bond) and was released.
See the full report here via KATC and we will update the story when more information becomes available.