A Flowery Branch man was recently arrested after he allegedly assaulted a teenage driver to the point that the teen lost consciousness following an apparent road rage incident in north Gwinnett County.
According to a press release from the Gwinnett County Police Department, Duane Andrew Sudderth, 57, of Flowery Branch, faces a list of charges following the incident on Feb. 28.
The 18-year-old victim told police the incident began on Peachtree Industrial Boulevard at R.H. Smith Boulevard in Buford. The teen alleged he and the driver of a blue pickup truck, Sudderth, exchanged "hand gestures." Sudderth then allegedly began to follow him.
"When the teen turned onto Little Mill Road, and then onto Buford Dam Road, the suspect followed," the release said. "According to the victim, the suspect tried running him off the road."
The teen and his 15-year-old sister, who was a passenger seated in the front seat, pulled into a private driveway on Buford Dam Road near Marina Way. Sudderth allegedly pulled in behind them, got out of his truck, and began to punch the teenage driver repeatedly in the face through the window.
Sudderth then told the victim that he would sexually assault his "girlfriend." That comment was aimed at the victim's sister.
"The suspect continued to punch him even as he exited the vehicle," the press release reads. "Eventually, the victim lost consciousness. When he awoke, he called the police to report the incident."
Police continued to follow up on the case over the next few days, eventually tracking Sudderth to his home in Flowery Branch on Sunday. He was arrested and booked at the Gwinnett County Jail on the following charges: aggravated battery, two counts of aggravated assault, terroristic threats, first-degree cruelty to children, third-degree cruelty to children, entering auto and aggressive driving. He is being held without bond.
