Charges dropped after road rage incident captured on video at El Paso Sam's Club

EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — Charges have been dropped against the man caught on video allegedly beating an 18-year-old teenager following a road rage incident at Sam’s gas station in northeast El Paso.

William Jesse Sullivan was arrested and charged with assault causing bodily injury on April 16 after a video went viral showing Sullivan punching and head-butting an 18-year-old boy who was allegedly impatient at a gas station.

But that charge was dropped thanks to a pretrial diversion program Sullivan completed, according to court records.

This program is often an option for first-time offenders.

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As KFOX14/CBS4 previously reported, the incident occurred on April 6 and went viral due to a video showing the fight.

In the video, Sullivan punches and headbutts a young man sitting behind the wheel of a vehicle. It also shows other drivers getting out of their vehicles and trying to help, and even a woman saying in Spanish: “He’s a kid, can’t you see?” You can even hear him shouting. refers to the victim’s youthful appearance.

KFOX14 spoke only with the victim and her mother, who filed criminal charges against Sullivan.

The 18-year-old victim said he got stuck inside the packed gas station as he tried to make his way to the diesel pumps. When he couldn’t get out of the road, he said Sullivan, who was following him, became angry and aggressive.

“He told me to go away and he was yelling and cursing at me. He kept telling me to move but I kept saying I couldn’t move,” the victim said.

Sullivan allegedly became so impatient that he got out of his vehicle and approached the victim.

“He walks up to my window and it’s like he punches me directly in the nose,” the victim said.

The 18-year-old victim’s mother then decided to record what happened and took out her cell phone to record.

Although the victim had visible bruises on his face, he is happy that things did not escalate further.

“You’re scared because it’s like he’s carrying a knife, I don’t know what his intentions are,” he said.

Both the victim and the mother were hoping at the time that Sullivan would be taken off the streets because they feared he would do the same thing to someone else, and they argued: “Without hesitation, he walked towards me and punched me, which is what made me feel.” “He’s done it before, he’ll do it again.”

“This is such a cowardly act for him, he should have chosen a grown man,” the mother said.

The mother also thanked those around her who tried to help and said, “God knows what this man would have done if they had not intervened.”

RELATING TO: Video: Road rage incident shows man beating teenager at El Paso Sam’s Club

KFOX14/CBS4 also spoke with Sergeant Robert Gomez of the El Paso Police Department, who said this violent incident should not have happened in the first place.

“There really is no excuse for this type of behavior. There is a wide variety of crimes committed on the road sometimes due to very simple and innocent mistakes made by drivers,” Gomez said.

Gomez also said there are no charges for “road rage” but offenders could face other charges.

“Crimes that arise from these types of incidents, you know, can range from murder to simple assault,” Gomez said.

The age of the people involved may also play a role in sentencing.

“Depending on the age of the victim, yes there may be additional charges, not just young, but old can change the seriousness of the crime,” Gomez said.

KFOX14/CBS4 also reached out to Sam’s corporate office to see what more could be done to help employees direct traffic during busy rush hours.

The company sent the following statement:

The safety of our partners and members is our top priority. Our employees followed appropriate protocols and immediately responded to the incident and notified local law enforcement.

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