Lakewood man was shot in face in road rage incident — charged shooter claims self-defense

A June road rage incident in Lakewood left a man with a bullet wound to his cheek, but the accused shooter claims he fired in self-defense, according to charging papers.

Prosecutors charged Michael Anthony Cruz, 28, with first-degree assault in Pierce County Superior Court on Friday, according to court documents. Cruz is not listed on the Pierce County Jail roster and Lakewood police did not immediately respond to a question about his custody status.

The incident began June 4 when another driver cut Cruz off on I-5 in Lakewood, charging papers say.

Court documents give the following account:

Both vehicles exited onto Gravelly Lake Drive and Cruz fired when they came up alongside each other at a roundabout.

The man who was shot said he accidentally cut Cruz off, prompting him to aggressively follow his car. The victim was about to throw a water bottle at Cruz’s car when Cruz mouthed, “Don’t do it,” and fired.

Cruz also called 911 to report the incident and claimed the other driver had cut him off, crossing from the far right lane to the far left lane on the highway. Cruz said he then cut the other driver off in retaliation.

Cruz said he happened to take the same exit as the other driver and claimed the man threw something at his rear driver’s side window where his child was sitting. Fearing for his child’s safety, he said he fired one shot from his handgun as he saw the other driver’s arm winding up to throw something or brandish a gun.

He told investigators he thought he hit the other vehicle’s lower half or tire and “seemed alarmed and dismayed” when police told him he hit the victim in his face.

The victim was left with bullet fragments in his face requiring surgery. An initial investigation showed the bullet likely passed through his face then shattered the driver’s side window.

Cruz told police he was a registered gun owner. Court records show he has no prior felony charges in Pierce County.