SURPRISE, AZ — A driver was arrested after Surprise police say a road rage incident was caught on camera. 40-year-old Charles Bass was taken into custody after pointing a gun twice at a teen driver earlier this month.
“The first time he pulled it up, it didn't really hit me,” said 19-year-old Shi ’Anna Bamba.
On December 5, she was driving near Litchfield and Cactus roads in Surprise. After dropping off her siblings at school, Bamba said she tried to change lanes. Court documents said Bamba cut off a truck, but she told ABC15 that's not what happened.
“I didn't make it,” said Bamba. “I didn't even attempt to switch lanes yet.”
She said she saw the other driver speed up and gesture at her, but then things escalated even further. When the two drivers pulled up to the stop light, Bamba started recording.
ABC15 was only given part of that recording with audio. In the video, you can hear words exchanged between the two. The other driver then can be seen pointing a gun not once, but twice at Bamba.
“Then I heard him say, ‘Did you want to die?’” said Bamba.
Those words can also be heard in the video.
Bamba said after she pulled away, she panicked and called her mom. She said moments later she fully realized what happened. The teen’s mom told ABC15 the situation has made moving forward hard for her daughter.
Bamba contacted police and showed officers the video.
On December 15, Bass was taken into custody by US Marshals, the Air Force, and the Surprise Police Department. Court documents say Bass is a First Sergeant with the Air Force.
“There’s nothing I could say out of my mouth that could threaten you that much to have a finger on the trigger, and I was in the car by myself,” said Bamba.
Court documents said Bass confirmed his involvement to police but said the teen was driving erratically.
According to court documents, he said “because of his PTSD and hypervigilance issues” when he saw the car's window down, he didn't know what the other driver was going to do.
But when asked why he pointed the gun at Bamba twice after realizing it was a young woman, "He said he did not know why."
ABC15 did reach out to Bass by phone Wednesday, but he said to reach out to his attorney.
At the time of this story's publishing, the attorney had not responded by phone or email.
ABC15 also reached out to the Air Force. Their public affairs office said the incident is under investigation and they couldn’t provide any other information.
Bass was booked on multiple charges including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
