Road rage: Jamie Baron allegedly attacks driver on Bulleen Rd on Christmas

A motorist allegedly attacked a stranger on Christmas Day in an unprovoked road rage incident in Bulleen. And it allegedly wasn’t the aggressor’s first rodeo.

Jamie Scott Baron has been released on bail.

A driver who allegedly followed and attacked a stranger on Christmas Day in an unprovoked road rage incident allegedly had a history of unleashing anger on other road users.

Jamie Scott Baron fronted Heidelberg Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, February 3, to apply for bail for a second time, having previously been deemed too greater risk to the community.

Baron allegedly kicked and punched a driver’s car, yelling at the driver to get out and face him, in an unexplained attack in Bulleen on December 25.

The court heard that Baron drove up behind the driver, beeping his horn and sticking up his middle finger, after the driver took the Bulleen Rd exit off the Eastern Freeway and stopped at a yellow light.

The other driver allegedly ignored Baron, who followed him down Bulleen Rd, still beeping his horn and signalling gestures.

Baron allegedly then drove up alongside the other car and swerved in front of it while sounding the horn, then allegedly stopped in front of the car at the intersection of Manningham Rd and got out of his car.

He allegedly verbally abused the other driver, calling for him to get out of his car and punching the car window three times.

He allegedly kicked the car twice before driving off.

The incident was caught on dashcam footage and allegedly left the other driver’s car with about $500 damage.

The court heard Baron had allegedly tried to run a motorcyclist off the road in another road rage incident in Whittlesea about 10.45am on March 2.

He allegedly also did a U-turn in Epping so he could verbally abuse road workers at a site on Epping Road in May 2018.

Baron allegedly yelled, “I’m sick of you f*cking blokes,” before doing a burnout around a worker directing traffic, coming within one metre of the worker and almost hitting a plastic safety barrier, where multiple workers were behind.

Nearby police allegedly saw the incident and when they went to pull him over, Baron allegedly got out of his car and yelled, “Shoot me, just f*cking shoot me”.

The court heard the Thomastown man had since skipped two court dates over the incident and had breached a community corrections order.

Baron’s lawyer told the court Baron had been diagnosed as suffering from personality disorder since he was previously denied bail and had begun taking medication in jail.

The lawyer said Baron had pretty much “turned himself around” in terms of criminality before the incident on Christmas Day.

It was submitted he had a supportive partner and had a job at a car business.

Magistrate Jennifer Tregent said Baron’s alleged behaviour was very concerning.

“Am I releasing someone who’s potentially going to be a lethal weapon in the future?” she said.

Ms Tregent said she couldn’t understand the road rage behaviour, comparing it to drink driving.

“Why do they get angry in a car? Or get in a car and get angry?”

But Ms Tregent agreed to bail Baron, saying there was a real prospect that he could spend too long in custody before the matters resolved, having been locked up since Boxing Day.

She banned Baron from driving.