Surveillance video showed a man following her into a convenience store and pointing a gun at her multiple times. The man has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
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The woman, who spoke only to ABC13 and asked to have her identity concealed, said the suspect was behind her at a red light Tuesday morning. She claimed he honked at her when the light turned green. She honked back and said that's when he brandished his gun, followed her, and rear-ended her.
"That's when I just took off, speeding to a gas station to a public area, because I had already seen that gun in the car. So I didn't want to just pull over like a regular car accident," the victim said.
Surveillance video from that Phillips 66 gas station on Atascocita and Wilson in Humble shows the terrifying moments after a man followed her into the convenience store. He can be seen pointing the gun at her several times as she tries to run away from him.
When she tried to leave, the woman said he stopped her and tried to take the keys out of her car. He then hit the back of her car again. The victim believes he did it to block her in the parking lot.
She said the suspect shouted racial slurs at her, causing her to fear for her life.
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"I honestly didn't think he would pull a gun out in public and chase me. He was like, 'Get on the ground right now!' He could have shot me. He was aiming a gun. I could tell he was kind of scared himself. He was shaking his hand. That's why I was scared. 'I'm scared because you're scared.' He could have done anything to me just out of fear," she said.
Deputies with the Harris County Sheriff's Office responded about 10 minutes later and said they took the gun away from the man, identified as 30-year-old Kevin Roth. He was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
"My heart was just racing. When the police got there, I was just like in tears," the victim said.
ABC13 learned Roth bonded out of jail Wednesday afternoon, which was set at $25,000. HCSO said he has not had any prior offenses, other than minor traffic violations.
The victim's mother said she's thankful her daughter is alive but feels extremely disturbed about how this unfolded.
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"It was sickening. This could have ended a lot worse. I'm thankful to God that everything didn't escalate as far as it could have (gone). That's just not OK. Guns don't belong in some people's hands, in their possessions," the mother said.
The mother shared that the focus for their family right now is to help her daughter gain a sense of safety and security again. They expressed that they are worried about possible retaliation because the suspect has their home address.
"What makes matters even worse is this man lives about two miles away from us. So how do we feel protected when he lives that close?" she said.
ABC13 asked HCSO about this concern. A spokesperson said state law mandates that all parties involved in a car crash must exchange personal contact information.
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