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Man accused of ramming car

Fed up with the wait at a bank drive-through, deputies say, a man drives into the back of another car three times.

By CARRIE JOHNSON, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published June 21, 2002


HOMOSASSA -- Hugh Allen McMahon took the concept of a drive-through a little too literally Wednesday afternoon, authorities said.

McMahon apparently became frustrated while waiting for the customer in front of him at the AmSouth Bank branch in Homosassa to complete her transaction. Authorities said he decided to send her a message by ramming her car three times with his blue van.

Law officers arrested the 70-year-old Homosassa man Wednesday and charged him with one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. McMahon was released Thursday from the Citrus County jail, where he had been held in lieu of $3,000 bail.

No one was hurt and the cars weren't damaged, but the 17-year-old driver who was bumped said the incident terrified her.

"I still can't believe it happened," Nell Davis said. "I was all shook up and teary afterward."

Davis said she was depositing several checks at the bank and also wanted to get some cash. She had recently moved to Citrus County from Louisiana, so the transaction was taking longer than usual, between 11 and 15 minutes, according to a Citrus County Sheriff's Office report.

Davis said McMahon leaned out of his van and began screaming obscenities while she was talking to the teller.

"He kept yelling out stuff and cussing and saying things like, "Move it,' " she said.

Davis, tired from a long day as an assistant at a local ministry, had tried to ignore McMahon. Suddenly, she felt a bump.

"It jerked me forward," she said. "I was like, "Oh, my gosh.' "

McMahon had edged his van right behind her burgundy Eagle Summit and plowed into her, Davis said. Then he backed up and did it twice more.

Davis, stunned, didn't know what to do. McMahon told her he had copied her license plate number and would "track her down," she said. Then he drove away from the bank.

A sheriff's deputy found McMahon in the parking lot of the Winn-Dixie on U.S. 19 in Homosassa and asked him about the incident, the report said.

McMahon made no attempt to deny the incident, according to the arrest report.

"He did not feel that it was fair for him to have to wait that long in line and he did not see anything wrong with running his vehicle into the victim's (car)," the report said.

The report indicated that McMahon, who was arrested about 5:20 p.m., may have been under the influence of alcohol. He could not be reached for comment Thursday.

As for Davis, she's still amazed that a trip to the bank turned into a violent game of bumper cars.

"I think it's ridiculous what happened," she said. "It was crazy. I don't know what possessed him to do it."

-- Times staff writer Barbara Behrendt contributed to this report

-- Crime reporter Carrie Johnson can be reached at 860-7309 or cjohnson@sptimes.com.

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