Cedar Rapids man arrested in fatal ‘road rage’

CEDAR RAPIDS — A Cedar Rapids man has been charged in connection with a fatal road rage incident five months ago in Hiawatha.

Shawn Patrick Steele, 47, is charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and operating while under the influence.

According to a criminal complaint, Steele was involved in an ongoing road rage incident April 2 while driving a 2020 International Penske truck.

Tommy Thomas, 52, who was driving a 2019 Subaru Crosstrek, had followed Steele and stopped Steele’s vehicle multiple times while the two were traveling between North Center Point Road and North 12th Avenue in Hiawatha.

Steele made several attempts to disengage with Thomas, but Thomas kept re-engaging, according to the complaint.

At North 12th Avenue and Lyndhurst Drive, west of Interstate 380, Thomas got out of his vehicle and climbed onto the passenger side of Steele’s truck.

Steele’s truck kept moving for a short distance before Thomas fell on the ground and was run over by the truck’s back wheels. He died as a result of his injuries.

Steele drove away but was stopped about 2.5 miles away by a Linn County sheriff’s deputy. He appeared to be under the influence, and a blood sample was taken, showing his blood-alcohol level was 0.146, above the legal limit of 0.08.

“But for Thomas willingly engaging in this ‘road rage’ incident and acting as an aggressor up to and including his final act, he would not have died, ” the criminal complaint stated. “However, the defendant left the scene of the last encounter between him and Thomas and did not return to the scene, likely due to being either under the influence of alcohol or having an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more.”

The investigation involved interviews with witnesses and the review of video surveillance.

Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks said in a statement he “conducted an extensive review of all the materials and strongly considered all charging options.”

“Information pertaining to the investigation came in at different points in time,” he said. “A case of this magnitude and seriousness requires careful review, and I believe, based on the entirety of the evidence, we landed on the appropriate charges.”

Steele was arrested Thursday on a warrant with a $5,000 bond. He hadn’t made his first appearance in Linn County District Court as of Friday afternoon.

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