DERRY — A Derry woman is offering a $200 reward for information leading to the arrest of a man she said assaulted her 17-year-old son last Friday.
The woman, who refused to be identified, bought an advertisement in a local newspaper asking people to call Derry police. The ad includes a description of the man and the vehicle he was driving when he allegedly punched her son, whom she also refused to identify.
"Maybe his neighbor will recognize him," she said yesterday in a telephone interview.
Derry police Capt. Vernon Thomas said the teenager was injured in an apparent road rage incident. He said police spoke with witnesses, who gave conflicting reports of the incident.
Police have determined the teenager and another man were driving on Crystal Avenue around 6 p.m. Friday when the teenager made an indecent gesture to the other driver. The man then followed the teenager and both got out of their vehicles, Thomas said.
"It appears both people acted inappropriately with their driving habits," Thomas said.
Thomas said the older driver left his glasses behind before driving away from the scene.
"It doesn't look like anyone came out ahead on this," he said.
Police have insufficient information to identify a suspect and have suspended the investigation for now, Thomas said.
But the teenager's mother claims the man quickly pulled out in front of her son and he only made a surprised gesture. She claimed her son got out of the vehicle only after the man was pulling at his car door and had already pried it open.
As soon as her son was out of the car, she said, the man punched him in the face breaking two teeth. Her son made it clear to the other driver he was only 17, she said.
Since the incident, the teenager has not been able to go to school and spent several hours at the dentist earlier this week.
"It's anywhere between $8,000 and $10,000 worth of damage to his mouth," she said.
ÔÇæÔÇæÔÇæ
Join the discussion. To comment on stories and see what others are saying, log on to eagletribune.com.
