A Sunrise man involved in a road-rage incident was targeted a second time and that situation ended in an assault.
Speaking to 7News on Tuesday, 35-year-old Marquis Clerge said it has been a rough two weeks for him as he recounts what happened during the incident that started in the parking lot of a barber shop.
“It all started on August 10,” said Clerge.
He says the person he may have cut off while on the road followed him there.
“He began to get very irate. He was saying ‘You cut me off,’ just very angry and from that point me and him, we started to have a little back and forth,” said Clerge.
The victim said after a few verbal attacks back and forth, he gathered his kids and left the area, only to be chased by the man and cornered.
“A white Toyota Camry pulls up in front of me at an angle where I can’t go left or right, and two Hispanic males get out of the car, one of them has a weapon,” said Clerge.
Clerge took off, damaging his car in the process and was able to flag down a police officer.
“The officer was able to see the vehicle that I pointed at, I said ‘these guys are chasing us they have a weapon,’” said Clerge.
At that point, no arrests were made.
But Clerge said two days later, things would get worse for him. While picking up his son from a basketball game, he said he saw the same men again.
“They were ready to fight. They said ‘We finally got you’ and they were ready to fight,” said Clerge.
He said he ran but couldn’t get away this time.
“I was hit really, really hard a few times, and I fell and hit the ground and I was beat until I was unconscious,” said Clerge. “I had a huge gash in my head, my lip was split in two and I had a very large lump on the side of my face.”
He said doctors had to install a metal plate and screws to his head to patch him back together during the surgery.
Police responded to the athletic complex and one arrest was made, 20-year-old Frumence Saint Preux.
“They said that on the camera they could clearly see that he hit me,” said Clerge.
He tells 7News the scary situation still rattles him days later.
“Everyday I wake up and I can’t believe that my face, I can’t believe one situation led to this where I could’ve possibly lost my life,” said Clerge.
Police said the investigation is ongoing.
“They do know there were others involved but they stated they have to do more investigations in order to make an arrest on the other individuals,” said Clerge.
Clerge said he won’t feel safe until that happens.
“I won’t feel comfortable until all of them are held accountable,” said Clerge.
If you have any information on this crime, call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.