Report of 'poor driving' escalates into threats

OK, everyone, we really need to calm down.

A “poor driving” incident on Tuesday managed to evolve into threats about guns, shooting someone and fears of attacks.

The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office reported that deputies responded to Advent Lane in Hauser Lake for a report of a trespassing and citizen dispute.

At the time of the call, a male was heard yelling he was going to get a gun after a second male followed his teenage daughter home.

“The first male was highly upset and believed his family was under attack,” KCSO reported.

The second male said he followed the driver home after she almost caused a "life-threatening collision."

The first male made several allegations, including trespassing and violent crimes.

“The second male became so upset that he stated he was going to shoot the next head that was visible,” KCSO reported.

Deputies talked to everyone and calmed them down.

“The daughter admitted to the poor driving, while the male that followed her home was warned for his behavior,” the KCSO report said.

KCSO Lt. Ryan Higgins said it does seem deputies are handling more routine calls that end up being more than it should "because of the demeanor of the parties involved."

He said there could be several reasons for that, including that there are more people in the area and that many are tense about COVID-19.

"As a result the frustration level is high and people end up blowing their tops over simple things," he wrote.

It's also not a good idea to start following someone you believe did something wrong, law officers say. Better to get a license plate number, if you can, and alert police.

Following someone may actually escalate the situation and lead to a confrontation, as it did in this case.