Motorcycle passenger beats car hood and pulls gun during Tri-Cities road rage on Hwy 395

A woman riding on the back of a motorcycle was arrested after she struck a car with a baton and pulled out a gun during a Friday road rage confrontation, said the Washington State Patrol.

The angry exchange began in Pasco, continued south across the blue bridge and along Highway 395 in Kennewick about 10 a.m. Friday morning.

Marlene Perry McCreary, 47, of Spokane, was a passenger on a motorcycle when she thought the driver of a Honda Civic was trying to block the bike from exiting from the westbound lanes of Interstate 182 to Highway 395, WSP Trooper Sarah Clasen told the Herald.

McCreary believed the driver of the Civic were speeding up and blocking them from getting into the exit lane, Clasen said.

Investigators say McCreary then pulled out a baton and hit the hood of the Civic after they crossed the bridge into Kennewick.

When the car and the motorcycle stopped at Highway 395 and Clearwater Avenue, McCreary allegedly pulled out a pistol and pointed it in the direction of the car, Clasen said.

McCreary has concealed pistol license for the gun.

The Civic turned off the highway at Vista Way, and the people inside called 911 to report the threat.

Kennewick officers stopped the motorcycle on Highway 395 between 27th Avenue and Hildebrand Boulevard near the Southridge Sports Complex.

McCreary was booked into the Benton County jail on suspicion of malicious mischief and unlawful display of a gun. The motorcycle driver was not arrested.

McCreary denied the state patrol’s account of what happened, she told the Herald. She said the other driver tried to run her and her husband off of the road.

When they reached the Clearwater Avenue intersection, they yelled and gestured at the other driver, she said.

This story was originally published August 19, 2022 at 3:49 PM.