Boy, 4, Dies After THROWN Out Of Car During Road-Rage Dispute With Father And Second Driver

The boy died after his father, Joe Chanthavong, 26, from California, crashed his car when a second driver in a black Chevy pickup truck tried to force him off the road.


The truck followed him after he made an abrupt exit from Interstate 5 and cut in front of him in Sacramento on Saturday afternoon.

California Highway Patrol Officer Lizz Dutton says that when Chanthavong lost control of his car – a blue 1999 Honda Accord, it went down an embankment.

The boy, who was not properly secured in a child restraint seat, was thrown from the car and killed.

Chanthavong and the child’s mother, 23-year-old Melinda Phouglonghong, who was also in the car, suffered minor injuries.

Ms Phouglonghong said she never checked to make sure her son was wearing a seat belt.

‘He buckled himself in. I taught him how to buckle himself in. They asked me if I checked. I didn’t double check,’ she said.

The driver of the second car – a black Chevy pickup truck – drove away.

Officer Dutton said both cars were making unsafe lane changes, following too closely to each other and speeding.

The CHP says Chanthavong did not have a driver’s license and has a lengthy criminal past including felony assault and drug possession.

He was taken to UC Davis Medical Center with minor cuts and abrasions and a contusion to his head.

A toxicology report and possible charges are pending.