Road Rage Antidepressant Withdrawal 17/12/2005 Texas Man Tries to Run Down Group of Kids Summary:

Paragraph 9 reads: "Kirby Police say Lawrence claimed to have been off his anti-depressants and may have over-reacted to the situation. Melendez says her son could have been killed and being off medication is not an excuse."

Withdrawal now appears to be as big a problem, if not bigger, than being on antidepressants.  The rage associated with abrupt withdrawal is the topic of many newsgroups and people seeking a way to discontinue antidepressants has become 'Big Business'.          

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10486342/

Man Arrested For Alleged Road Rage

  
WOAI-TV

A man arrested for trying to run over a group of kids, says the whole incident was a big mistake. 

David Lawrence says one of the kids flipped him off, but that he didn't try to run them over; he claims he was off his medication and the bad weather is partially to blame for, what he calls a 'misunderstanding.' 

A mother whose child was involved isn't so sure. Lydia Melendez says her son feared for his life. She says Lawrence tried to kill her 14-year-old, after a fit of road rage on Happiness Street. She says the weather is what saved her son and his friends. 

"If it was not that there was rain," says Melendez, "they all would have been mowed down by a vehicle."

Instead of hitting the teenagers, Lawrence's truck plowed through a fence. He says he wasn't trying to hit anyone. 

"I was not attempting to go after them," Lawrence tells News 4 WOAI. "When I hit the wheel, when I turned around to look back, I pulled to the right."

Melendez's brother witnessed the wreck and says Lawrence's story isn't what he saw happen. 

"I [saw] the guy back up like a mad man and I heard a crash," says Carlos Matos. "I ran over there to find out what's going on." 

Kirby Police say Lawrence claimed to have been off his anti-depressants and may have over-reacted to the situation. Melendez says her son could have been killed and being off medication is not an excuse.

"That means you shouldn't have a drivers license; you should have 24 hour care," Melendez tells News 4 WOAI. "That means that when you are awake and you forget you are a menace to society." 

Lawrence was arrested and could face aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charges.