Gary Bergeron assaults other driver during road rage incident.

Authorities say an irate Chalmette man pepper sprayed another driver and hit him with a baseball bat during a road rage confrontation in Old Metairie. Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office investigators aren't sure what happened to set off Gary Bergeron, 33. It began with some sort of traffic encounter between Bergeron and the victim, an unidentified 49-year-old man, on Interstate 10 in New Orleans around noon on Wednesday (Dec. 4), according to Glen T. Boyd, spokesman for the Sheriff's Office. The victim and his male passenger, 47, continued into Old Metairie via Metairie Road but hit traffic at Paladin Place, an arrest report said. That's when Bergeron, who was behind the man, got out of his vehicle to confront the other driver, Boyd said. As soon as the man opened his driver's side door, Bergeron pepper sprayed him as well as his passenger, the report said. The two men got out of the vehicle and all three began to tussle. Bergeron broke free and headed for his car. But he didn't leave. He returned to the melee, this time armed with an aluminum baseball bat, Boyd said. Bergeron chased the driver and passenger, who both climbed back into their car. Bergeron smashed the driver's side window with the bat, the report said. The driver and passenger decided to try to disarm Bergeron and got out of their car, again. Bergeron hit the driver in the face with the bat, but the driver and passenger managed to wrestle him to the ground with help from another witness, the report said. Bergeron got up and tried to drive off, but the passenger had already taken his car keys, the report said. Sheriff's Office deputies arrived a short time later and arrested him.