Tacoma mom 'terrified' as five drivers on I-5 tormented family

TACOMA -- It was a Sunday evening drive home from Oregon to Tacoma, but south of Olympia, near Grand Mound, troopers say five young men driving souped-up Volkswagens started tormenting drivers.

"They were driving up to different cars and flashing their flashers at them and then shoving them over or pulling in front of them and hitting their brakes as hard as they could,” victim Aimee Buswell said Wednesday night.

Buswell, her fiancee and son were in one of the cars being targeted.

They sped up to avoid trouble and didn't see the other cars for about 15 minutes, but the Volkswagens caught up and that's when the attack started.

"The black Jetta drove onto the shoulder and the silver bug was on the side of us and hit as hard as he could on our rear bumper, which pitted us,” Buswell said.

It's called a pit maneuver -- usually used by police to stop a fleeing suspect.

When used by a civilian, it can be extremely dangerous.

"We hit the concrete barrier on my side as hard as we could and then the passenger side hit and 100 yards down the barrier we slid down. I thought the car was going to flip when that first initial hit on that concrete barrier and then oncoming traffic, we were facing oncoming traffic. I've never been so terrified. I never would have thought in a million years that three cars would gang up on you,” Buswell said.

Editor's note:  After our report, troopers said there were actually five aggressive drivers involved in the incident, not three.



Aimee and her family are bruised and their car is a total loss.

"They didn't care. They were laughing when they went by, laughing like it was funny and it's not funny,” Buswell said. "It's horrible. I've never been so scared in my life.”

Fortunately, troopers caught the driver who allegedly pitted Buswell, but the other two got away. He faces charges of leaving the scene of an accident, reckless driving and three counts of reckless endangerment.

Now, troopers and Buswell want them all caught.

The five cars involved were all VWs -- a silver Bug, a black Jetta, and a light-blue Cabriolet convertible.

WSP troopers say they know about the five drivers involved in this incident.

One of the drivers faces serious charges including leaving the scene of an accident, reckless driving and three counts of reckless endangerment.

Troopers say if you are threatened by an aggressive driver you should NOT engage them. Do not make eye onctact, honk or horn or gesture towards them. If you feel threatened it is ok to use your phone and call 911. If you are on a busy highway, take a nearby exit and drive to a crowded, well-lit, business and ask for help.