Arji-Banks Michael Cooper: “Angry and uncontrolled display of road rage” ends with bat through car window

The passenger of a car involved in a road rage incident has been sentenced after he took a baseball bat to a vehicle that had two children inside. Read what happened here.

Arji-Banks Michael Cooper, 26, pleaded guilty to one count of wilful damage and one count of assault occasioning bodily harm while armed and in company. Picture: Emily Walker.

The passenger of a car involved in a road rage incident has been sentenced after he took a baseball bat to a car that had two children inside.

Arji-Banks Michael Cooper, 26, pleaded guilty when he appeared in the Southport Magistrates Court on Wednesday to one count of wilful damage and one count of assault occasioning bodily harm while armed and in company.

The court heard a road rage incident occurred in Coomera on the evening of March 9, 2024.

Cooper was a passenger in one of the cars involved in the incident and has not been charged with any driving offences.

A co-accused was allegedly driving the car.

The court heard the co-accused has a mention in court on June 26.

The other car included two children, a woman and her partner, who was driving.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Karen Friedrichs said it started as a minor matter where both parties were antagonists to the other and it escalated.

At one point, the driver in the victim’s car called triple-0 and was kept on the line for roughly seven minutes.

The court heard for approximately five minutes, the car Cooper was in followed the victims who were caught when they drove down a cul-de-sac.

Cooper remained in the car when the co-accused allegedly exited and approached the victims’ car.

Attempting to escape, the victims drove onto the footpath and the co-accused fell over.

Cooper, leaving Southport Courthouse. Picture: Emily Walker

The court heard Cooper approached the car with a baseball bat and smashed it through the front window.

The bat struck the female passenger in the jaw and shoulder, with the glass spraying over her children.

“What possible justification could there be for such an angry and uncontrolled display of road rage?” Sargeant Friedrichs said.

Cooper’s defence lawyer India Brady from Bamberry Lawyers told the court her client was extremely embarrassed and remorseful for the offence.

She said in terms of the offending, her client got out of the car when he saw the other man fall over, thinking he had been hit.

“He knows now that was not the case but that is the context in which he approaches that vehicle,” she said. “What ultimately occurs is obviously very regrettable on my client’s behalf.”

She said Cooper didn’t know there were children in the other car until afterwards, co-operated with police and provided a recording police would not otherwise have access to.

The court heard Cooper had a prejudicial upbringing where he experienced traumatic events, and witnessed parental drug use and domestic violence.

Ms Brady told the court her client was not provided the care experts advised he receive when he was younger, including counselling and medication for his ADHD.

Cooper, who was not medicated at the time of the offence, has since seen a psychiatrist for medication, has been placed on a waitlist for an anger management course and has been engaging with an employment service provider.

Magistrate Pamela Dowse took into account Cooper’s circumstances but said his difficult start to life didn’t excuse his behaviour.

“In fact, I think it’s a reason why you should never be involved in anything like this,” she said. “ … What you’ve done to these people I think is horrific.”

Cooper was sentenced to a 24 month probation order and ordered to pay $2,000 in compensation

A conviction was recorded.

Originally published as Arji-Banks Michael Cooper: “Angry and uncontrolled display of road rage” ends with bat through car window