Nearly two months after a Savannah College of Art and Design student had a chemical thrown in her face in Midtown Atlanta, an arrest has been made.
Ar Rahman Shakur, 27, of Atlanta, was charged Friday with battery in connection with the Sept. 19 road-rage incident, Atlanta police said.
The incident began about 10:30 a.m. when the victim tried to switch lanes at the intersection of Peachtree and Spring streets, AJC.com previously reported. The woman said she pulled in front of a white Mercedes SUV that was preparing to turn left onto Spring Street.
The Mercedes then tailed her vehicle, with the driver aggressively beeping at her, police said. When her vehicle came to a stop, a man and woman got out of the Mercedes to confront her.
“I turned, and right when I turned, liquid was flying into my eyes,” the woman, who asked to remain anonymous, told Channel 2 Action News.
RELATED: Suspects sought after throwing chemical at SCAD student who cut them off in traffic
Shakur is accused of throwing a purple-like substance into the victim’s vehicle, which splashed into her eyes. The victim told Channel 2 she initially thought it was water, but she said it began to burn shortly after she drove away.
“By the time I had started driving behind them, the burning started to kick in and I realized it was a chemical-like substance and I couldn’t see for a solid 10 minutes,” she told Channel 2. “I tried to flush my eyes out as best I could.”
She said she was afraid she was going to lose her eyesight.
Other SCAD students heard her screaming and stopped to help. The victim was taken to a hospital for her injuries. It’s unclear what substance was thrown during the incident.
Police previously said the Mercedes had been stolen from a rental business and never returned, but the investigation determined that it had not been stolen, police said.
The investigation remains active, and it’s unclear whether the woman who was in the Mercedes is sought by police.
As of Friday night, Shakur remained in the Fulton County Jail.
In other news:
About the Author
