Brothers charged in St. Paul roadrage incident

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Two brothers from St. Paul are charged with felony assault in connection with an alleged road-rage incident September 6.

Prosecutors say  Matthew Thomas Spangler, age 20, and his brother Marco Spangler, 19, punched a man in the face and damaged his vehicle after he honked at them.

The victim says he was driving down South Smith Avenue near Morton Street shortly after 4 p.m. when the suspects pulled out right in front of him. He honked, and a short distance later the driver of the black Dodge Challenger slammed on his brakes, nearly causing the 49-year-old man to rear end the other vehicle.

Wanting to de-escalate the situation, the man pulled onto a side street and waited for the men in the Challenger to drive away. Instead, the two men, identified by a witness as the Spangler brothers, returned and began throwing rocks at his vehicle. 

When  the victim got out of his vehicle and walked towards the Dodge so he could identify his assailants, the driver allegedly jumped out and punched him in the face before getting back in the car and speeding off.

After speaking with a witness who identified the brothers, the man called 911 and reported the incident to the police. While he was talking with a dispatcher the Spanglers came back in a black GMC Yukon and tried to run him over before speeding off.

Minutes later the men returned in the Yukon with Matthew hanging out of the window holding onto a baseball bat. Prosecutors say he smashed out several windows in the victim's car, and even struck him in the back and shoulder.

Several witnesses backed up the victim's story, and police located the Spangler brothers. Both Matthew and Marco Spangler admitted they were involved in a road range incident with the man, but denied punching him or hitting him with a baseball bat.

If found guilty, a charge of second degree felony assault carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison.

 

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