Matthew Rodriguez is a digital producer for CBS Los Angeles. He's previously reported for local outlets like the Argonaut and Pasadena Weekly. Matt typically covers breaking news and crime.
Los Angeles police are investigating a road rage incident near Baldwin Hills, where a man pulled another driver out of a car and beat him.
The victim, Adam Berry, said he was driving on La Cienega Boulevard on Sept. 23 when he encountered a slow-moving work truck that was towing a Toyota Camry.
"It was going slow, but there are three lanes, so I went around him," Berry said. "No honking. Nothing."
About a half mile down the road, the other driver approached his window and berated him with expletives and anti-gay slurs, according to Berry.
"I roll my window down and he starts screaming at me," he said. "I've been in LA for 15 years now, so it's nothing too unusual, unfortunately ... I do remember processing, I should probably not be sticking around for this. I don't want to be stuck at a light with this guy."
Berry said he drove through traffic, at times cutting people off, before stopping at the intersection of La Cienega and Obama Boulevard.
"I don't see him anywhere," Berry said. "I'm assuming I'm in the clear. But, next thing I know, my driver's side mirror is getting kicked in, and a hand reaches in and opens my door and pulls me out of the car."
The suspect threw him to the ground and beat him while other drivers watched, according to Berry.
"All lanes of cars were stopped," Berry said. "Everyone's just sitting there watching. No one really got out, as far as I could see. I think everyone was pretty freaked out."
After the initial assault, Berry said the man came back and punched him three more times while he was trying to get a picture of the suspect and his license plate.
"I'm trying to wipe the blood off of my phone and get a good shot that's usable for the police," Berry said. "I can't get the blood off in time. He comes back, and I get about three more hits to the head."
The suspect drove away but got stuck in traffic, allowing Berry enough time to take a picture of the man and his license plate for the police.
The Los Angeles Police Department said the suspect was gone when they arrived, but they took a felony battery report for the incident. Paramedics took Berry to the hospital to treat a gash to his chin and bruises to his forehead. Police are still searching for the suspect.
Berry said he's still rattled two weeks after the attack, and while he's seen road rage incidents on social media, he never thought it could happen to him.
"I've never had anything like that happen in my life," he said. "I just feel like there's a lot of heat, a lot of hate, and I really honestly think we're all a lot more alike ... I just wish that this stuff would stop because this is a really beautiful community."