Cancer patient beaten after minor accident, sheriff says

PRAIRIEVILLE, La. (WAFB/Gray News) - A Prairieville man who is battling cancer and has a prosthetic leg is now hospitalized and awaiting surgery after being severely beaten during an apparent road-rage incident in Ascension Parish Sunday night.

It happened at around 8 p.m. on Causey Road in Prairieville, WAFB reported.

GRAPHIC WARNING: The video in this story includes images some might find disturbing.

Deputies said the victim, identified as 59-year-old Scott Gray, was driving down a narrow stretch of road when one of his side mirrors clipped the side mirror of another vehicle, causing the other vehicle’s mirror to fall off.

When Gray pulled over to exchange information with the other driver, that’s when investigators say things took a turn for the worse.

“Our victim is the one that stopped, hoping that the other guy would turn back around and come back and stop, and they could share information or make a police report,” said Ascension Parish Sheriff Bobby Webre. “That’s what he thought was going to happen. But when the suspect got there, it was anything but that. It was very cruel, very rude and maybe it’s your fault, and you’re going to pay for the damage to my vehicle.”

Family members who didn’t want to be named said as far as they know, he just remembers getting get hit once.

Deputies said they believe the other driver beat the victim, who was found unconscious on the side of the road.

“Insurance would’ve paid for another mirror,” a family member said Monday. “There was no need to get violent and crazy.”

Gray is in a hospital with three facial fractures, an eye laceration that has severed his tear duct, and his face is filled with bruises.

His family said Gray was put at an unfair advantage, being that he is not only battling Stage 4 melanoma, but has one leg from a motorcycle accident decades ago.

He was supposed to be in Houston this week for treatment at MD Anderson.

“That’s a lot of time of recovery. That’s more time robbed from my dad, from us. He’s battling cancer. He doesn’t have long with us, and he just robbed more time from all of us,” said a family member.

“The guy left him there, and he was unconscious when they found him. A monster would do something like this. Someone that doesn’t have God in their heart would do something like this,” said a family member.

Webre said two witnesses have come forward with information about the aggressor’s vehicle. Detectives are currently searching for an early 2000 model black Ford truck with undercarriage neon lights that are possibly blue or purple in color. The driver’s side mirror may also be damaged.

“It’s certainly mean-spirited. It’s certainly not how we want to see people act in our community. It’s uncivil, that’s for sure,” said Webre.

Authorities said the driver could face a second-degree battery charge for the brutal beatdown on the side of the road.

“It should not be tolerated anywhere,” said Webre.

“A monster would do something like this. Someone who doesn’t have God in his heart would do something like this,” said a family member.

The family stated that the first surgery went well for Gray, and it may be another week before the next surgery on his fractures can be done once swelling has gone down.

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