Man sentenced to 270 days in jail for I-94 road rage shooting

ST. CLOUD — A Stearns County judge on Wednesday sentenced a 24-year-old Michigan man to about nine months in jail for shooting at another vehicle and injuring the driver during a road rage incident last fall.

Shannon S. Woods of Inkster, Mich., was charged in Stearns County District Court with one felony count of second-degree assault after he fired a handgun at a vehicle driven by a man from Avon, Minn., at about 7:40 p.m. on Sept. 6 on westbound I-94 between St. Joseph and Avon.

According to court documents, Woods fired from his vehicle as the other man exited the freeway. The bullet hit the Avon man's vehicle near the rear driver's side window, skimmed the man's nose and exited the front passenger side window.

The Avon man told police he became frustrated with Woods while driving because Woods would not let him pass. The man said the two vehicles "went back and forth" and started racing, documents state.

Woods told police the Avon man repeatedly tailgated him and cut him off, and — at one point during the exchange — flashed an unknown object at Woods, documents state. After the incident, police found a "machete type tool" and multiple knives in the Avon man's car.

Woods told police he "fired two to three shots behind [the man's] car just to scare him off" and that he didn't intend to hit the victim, according to court documents.

Woods pleaded guilty in April as part of a plea deal and filed a motion for a downward departure from sentencing guidelines. The motion claimed the victim was also an aggressor in the incident and that Woods, who has no criminal history, has shown remorse. He asked to be placed on probation.

Judge Sarah Hennesy sentenced Woods to three years in prison but stayed the sentence, so Woods will not face prison time unless he violates the terms of his probation. The judge also sentenced him to 270 days in jail staggered over three years. He will be on probation for five years.