Road rage met pedestrian rage in St. Paul on Thursday afternoon, leaving one man with a swollen lip after a public pummeling.
St. Paul police said a pedestrian who was upset that a car had pulled too far into the crosswalk at Selby Avenue and Lexington Parkway knocked on the driver's window and yelled at him.
But he didn't expect the driver to jump out of his car, chase him down and punch him several times. Four or five girls between the ages of 7 and 11, who were in the car, witnessed it.
"Incidents like this are not common," said Officer John Keating, a police spokesman.
The driver punched the pedestrian in the head during the short chase, knocking him onto the sidewalk. The driver continued to punch the pedestrian several more times, Keating said, giving him a swollen lip.
The pedestrian, a 30-year-old St. Paul man, did not need medical care. He was crossing Selby Avenue southbound on the west side of Lexington Parkway when the assault occurred about 4:48 p.m.
The driver left in his vehicle, described as a new black Ford Edge with red dealer plates.
The driver is described as white, in his late 30s to early 40s, 5-foot-10 to 6-foot with short reddish blond hair. He was wearing a light blue or gray T-shirt.
