Road Rage Almost Brings 2 Men to Blows in Police Parking Lot

A fit of road rage landed two men in trouble with Palos Hills police.

Robert Montagano, 48, of Alsip, was charged with disorderly conduct, failing to reduce speed to avoid a crash and improper lane use on Aug. 6, police said. He and William Rakowski, 27, nearly came to blows in the Palos Hills Police Department parking lot, police said.

Rakowski was charged with possession of marijuana, possession of drug equipment, negligent driving, improper stopping and improper overtaking from the right, police said.

The angry pair was involved in a crash in the 9700 block of Roberts Road that turned into a "road rage incident," police said. Both drivers yelled curse words and swerved their vehicle at each other.

At about 1 p.m., Rakowski ditched his vehicle after driving into the middle of the police department lot and tried running into the building, police said. Officers then saw Montagano's vehicle dart into the lot before he got out to chase Rakowski. Cops stopped the two men from pummeling each other.

Officers discovered marijuana and drug paraphernalia in Rakowski's vehicle after the sorting out the situation, police said.

Montagano and Rakowski are due on Sept. 25 in Bridgeview court.

Are you a fan of true crime? Like the Crime-n-Shame Facebook page for tales of mischief and woe from all over the Chicago area.

Police report information is provided by Palos Hills Police Department. Charges are not evidence of guilt. They are a record of police actions taken on a given day, and persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. If you or a family member are charged or cited and the case is subsequently adjudicated, we encourage you to notify the editor. We will verify and report the outcome.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

There are plenty of ways to keep up on local news:

• Join Patch. Sign up for a user account and converse with your neighbors.
• Like Palos Patch on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.