Boston: Framingham Man David Pettengill Beat Woman In Road Rage Incident

Mike Gallagher

Feb 12, 2011 - 14:15

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Boston: Framingham Man David Pettengill Beat Woman In Road Rage Incident

David Pettengill was charged Jan. 25, 2011, with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery and driving to endanger after a case of alleged road rage, Framingham police said. He was also cited for following too closely.

BOSTON -- A Framingham man was arrested Monday, accused of punching a woman and slamming her head against her car in a road rage incident.

David B. Pettengill, 42, called 911 after the 4:15 p.m. incident on Route 30, or Cochituate Road, in Framingham claiming he was the victim of an attack, but witnesses said he was actually the aggressor, Framingham police Lt. Victor Pereira told the MetroWest Daily News.

About a minute after Pettengill called 911, another man called and said a woman had just been beaten near 550 Cochituate Road.

The woman said she was driving on Route 30 in Wayland when she noticed a pickup truck was tailgating her, Pereira told the paper. She told police that the truck tried to pass her car but could not because of oncoming traffic.

At one point, the woman said she changed lanes to try to let the truck pass, but it got behind her again, Pereira said.

Police said, when the woman tued off Route 30, Pettengill cut in front of the woman, and when she stopped, he pulled her out of the car and punched her in the face. He slammed the car door against her and then repeatedly slammed her head on the car, police said.

Both the woman and a man who witnessed the attack got the truck's license plate number. Police called Pettengill, and he was arrested at the police station.

Pettengill was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery and driving to endanger. He was also cited for following too closely.

Pettengill pleaded not guilty at his Framingham District Court arraignment, and he was released without bail. He is due back in court on March 3.

Pettengill's driving history includes 19 speeding citations dating back 18 years, according to records released by the Registry of Motor Vehicles. His license has been suspended several times over the period, according to the records. His driver's license was revoked Tuesday after he was deemed an "immediate threat," Registry spokeswoman Ann DuFresne said.