Man accused of firing shot at car with toddler inside

A man was chased down by a driver in a road-rage incident and dodged a bullet all while his 2-year-old son was in the car, police said.

The incident was reported Sunday morning in Forest Hills and ended near North Versailles.

Forest Hills police said the victim was driving Sunday morning on the Parkway East when someone started honking at him and throwing things at his car.

Police said the victim got off at Route 30 and headed toward the Forest Hills police station to report the harassment. When he came to a stop to turn, someone in the other car shot at the victim’s car, police said.

The victim called police, who sent out an alert about the suspect’s vehicle which was found near the Walmart in North Versailles.

In addition to the victim and his young son, another man was in the car. There were no reported injuries, but police said the bullet came very close to where the toddler was sitting.

Two suspects were arrested: the driver, 19-year-old Anthony Jose Hoots, and his passenger, 18-year-old Mack Lamont Hoots III. Police said Anthony Hoots is accused of firing the shot and hiding the gun inside Mack Hoots’ house.

Anthony Hoots is charged with three counts of aggravated assault and recklessly endangering another person, one count of tampering with evidence, and one count of carrying a firearm without a license.

Mack Hoots' charges include hindering apprehension or prosecution, tampering with evidence and obstruction.

Both suspects bonded out of jail and are scheduled for preliminary hearings on Dec. 14.

Cox Media Group