A Pittsburgh man is facing a number of charges after he allegedly choked the driver of a vehicle he was riding in for singing Christmas songs in March.
On March 4, a Pennsylvania state trooper responded to a call of a reported medical emergency on the side of an interstate on-ramp, CBS News reported.
Upon arriving at the scene, the trooper noticed two men standing behind the guardrail, next to a minivan.
According to the criminal complaint, the victim said he was giving Clayton Lucas, 25, a lift in his vehicle, when the passenger reached around his seat and began to choke the driver.
CBS reported that Lucas ignored questions from the trooper and refused to be placed into handcuffs. The cop was able to control the situation by taking the suspect down by sweeping out his legs from under him, placing him in handcuffs.
The driver told authorities that Lucas allegedly began to choke him in an effort to make him stop singing Christmas songs. The victim claimed he was choked to the point where he nearly passed out. The officer noted in the criminal complaint that the victim’s neck appeared to be red and he had broken blood vessels in both eyes.
Lucas was arrested on several charges and was being held in the Allegheny County Jail.