Bad case of road rage leads to sword fight

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Austin police arrested a man following a severe case of apparent road rage.

Kia Paya-Akhavan, a 34-year-old Austin man, is accused of attacking another man with a sword and a homemade flail.

According to the affidavit, Paya-Akhavan was driving recklessly on Oak Meadow Drive. Witnesses said he passed another car by driving in the oncoming lane. The driver of the other car was upset by the reckless driving. At an intersection, he took a picture of Paya-Akhavan’s car and license plate where the two drivers exchanged heated words, WISH-TV’s sister station KXAN reports.

The victim told police Paya-Akhavan followed him a short distance and the two men pulled over. The witness said when he got out of his car, Paya-Akhavan yelled at him, threw a water bottle at him and punched him in the face, according to the report. A witness managed to break up the fight. Paya-Akhavan left and the victim got back into his car, drove home and pulled into his driveway.

Paya-Akhavan returned a short time later and parked his car behind the man’s vehicle, blocking him into the driveway. He walked up to the driver’s side of the car and began slashing at it with a sword, causing damage to the car. The man backed into the other car to get away, and Paya-Akhavan got in his car and left.

He wasn’t gone long, though. According to the affidavit, Paya-Akhavan came back to the home again and attempted to run him over. When that didn’t work, Paya-Akhavan walked up to the man on foot, threatening him with a thick stick with two socket wrenches hanging off the top from ropes. The two got in another fight, and when a neighbor started walking up, Paya-Akhavan left again.

Paya-Akhavan is charged with two cases of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon as well as aggravated assault with a motor vehicle.