Two motorcyclists injured in Raleigh road rage incident

A 35-year-old Raleigh man was arrested in a road rage assault incident with two motorcyclists on Tryon Road in Raleigh Saturday.

Brandon Howard Stadiem was charged with assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, felony hit and run, misdemeanor hit and run, and assault with a deadly weapon.

Police said Stadiem struck two victims, who were driving motorcycles, with his car. One victim suffered several sprains and the other suffered a concussion. Both have been released from the hospital.

When a group of riders saw the vehicle hit their friend Saturday morning, they couldn't believe their eyes. They followed Stadiem's vehicle into an apartment complex in order to get his license plate number for police when he rolled over another rider.

Experienced motorcyclists who watched video of the incident said it looked as though the motorcycle drivers were doing everything right and Stadiem was frustrated and intentionally hit them.

"This gentleman weaponized his vehicle and turned it against people that were not an equal threat to him. There is no amount of training to prepare you for something like that," said Rodney Long with Evolution Motorcycle Club.

It's not uncommon for motorcyclists to mount cameras to their helmets in order to record their trips as keepsakes but in this case, the videos have become evidence.

"I see the vehicle run over the bike and it's really hard to watch. As the bike is being run over, you see the car go up and over the biker. It's very scary," said Kimberly Atkinson, president of Ebony Angels. "It looks intentional, to me."

"What I see is constant speed from the bikes. They were in order, no one from what I can see was riding out of line. Looked like a frustrated driver trying to get around them," Long said.

The motorcycle riders said they take road safety seriously, but there is no defense against road rage.

"They don't want to share the road with people who are on two wheels," Atkinson said. "As many times as I have seen things like this, it's always shocking to see it again."

Stadiem was released from the Wake County Detention Center on a $60,000 bond. His first court appearance is Monday at 9 a.m.

WRAL News attempted to contact Stadiem at his apartment, but were unable to locate him. His damaged car remained in the parking lot Sunday afternoon.