GUILFORD COUNTY, N.C. — Two people are charged after a reckless driving incident in Guilford County was caught on video by a Reidsville man on Wednesday morning.
A white van can be seen veering off the road to pass a tractor-trailer and weaving through traffic on I-73 in Guilford County.
Pete Denny of Reidsville said the van passed him when he first got onto the interstate.
"It kept speeding up and backing off, trying to get around me," Denny said. "He couldn't because there were other cars in front. Then finally, I figured out he was getting a little agitated, so I backed off."
Denny watched for several minutes as the van pursued a black car. He decided to start recording. The van tailgated the car and almost hit it several times. The car appeared to hit the brakes.
"It just seemed like the longer it went on, the more aggressive it got," Denny said.
He said it went on for about 10 miles and he kept his distance from the two vehicles.
"It could have gotten nasty, and it was already bad enough," Denny said. "The wrong move at the wrong time and one of those big 18-wheelers could have hit someone, and that could have been pretty devastating."
It all culminated after one of the drivers appeared to throw a drink at the other. The white van cut in front of the black car and the car nearly spun off the road.
Then, an unmarked North Carolina Highway Patrol car pulled up and turned on the lights on NC-68 near Pleasant Ridge Road.
The driver of the white Nissan van, Jerry Ray Wyatt, 62, of Eden, is charged with failure to maintain lane control and careless/reckless driving. The driver of the black Mazda vehicle, Joshua Ian Livesay, 25, of Mayodan, is also charged with failure to maintain lane control and careless/reckless driving.
Both will appear in court on April 14 in Guilford County.
"I kind of hate to say they got what they deserved, but at the end of the day, they got what they deserved," Denny said.
Denny's video has gotten thousands of views since he posted it. His brother is a patrolman and he hopes the video reminds people to thank law enforcement.
"Those guys get out there, and strap on the bulletproof vest every day, and they risk their lives for people like me and you," Denny said. "I was just pumped up on adrenaline. Just so thankful and so glad to see the good guy catch the bad guy."
He also hopes the video serves as a reminder for people to drive defensively.