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CLEARFIELD — A West Point man was charged Thursday with shooting and killing another driver during a road rage confrontation earlier this month.
Justin Kent Doman, 34, is charged in 2nd District Court with murder, a first-degree felony. He was arrested Thursday morning.
Doman was driving his Ford Ranger on state Route 193 in Clearfield on June 3 when James Edward Saccato, 63, of West Point, cut him off and "then brake checked him at least three different times," according to charging documents.
Police say Doman responded by honking his horn and "flipping off" Saccato.
"As they approached the intersection of around state Route 193 and Industrial Parkway, the victim again slammed on his brakes. This time, (Doman) rear-ended him, causing damage to (Saccato's) vehicle," the charges state.
Doman then called 911 and "while on the phone, he admitted to hitting the victim again" near 350 S. Main, according to police.
"Both vehicles were heading northbound when the victim made a U-turn, prompting (Doman) to ram into the side of the victim's truck in an attempt to stop him," the charges say.
Doman allegedly continued to drive after Saccato at a high rate of speed and gave 911 dispatchers a license plate number of Saccato's vehicle.
"Despite having the license plate number, (Doman) continued to follow the victim. Surveillance videos of the chase show both vehicles traveling at high speeds. In some of the videos, the squealing tires and revving engines of both vehicles can clearly be heard," investigators wrote in the charges.
Saccato eventually stopped his truck in the middle of a residential street, got out of his vehicle and approached Doman, who was still sitting in his car with the driver's window down.
A witness said Saccato bent down to speak to the driver, then immediately fell back after a single gunshot was fired, according to charging documents.
Doman "knew that the victim was unarmed, but ... felt like the victim was trying to disarm him, so he shot him in the chest," the charges allege. "(Saccato) died shortly after from his wound. None of the witnesses reported seeing the victim put his hands on (Doman) or attempt to disarm him."
Investigators said Doman's actions "show that he provoked the final response" from Saccato and said Doman "was the aggressor in this series of events, which led to the victim's death."
Clearfield Police Chief Kelly Bennett on Thursday said this was not a case of self-defense.
"We're confident in the prosecution of this case. We're confident it was not a self-defense," the chief said. "(Saccato) was not armed at the time of this incident and he died because of the rage that was shown during this incident."
Bennett made his comments while attending a press conference hosted by the Utah Department of Public Safety to raise awareness about Utah's new road rage statute recently passed into law that is scheduled to take effect July 1. He said the tragic ending in the confrontation between Doman and Saccato could have been avoided.
"That's our message, do not become engaged. We become emotional, and sometimes we lose that ability to control our emotions. And that's what we want to avoid. So we're encouraging the public, if you're involved in a road rage, get the vehicle information, get the plate number, call 911 and do not pursue after the individual," he said.
"Because you never know what's going to happen if you approach somebody."
