Background: The Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis, Minn. (Google Maps). Insets (left to right): Clarence Lyons and Patience Jentzen (Hennepin County Sheriff”s Office).
In a disturbing case of road rage in Minnesota, two individuals have been charged with assault after an altercation involving a golf club turned violent. The incident unfolded on March 23, and it has since led to the arrest of Clarence Lyons, 37, and Patience Jentzen, 31. Both suspects have been released on bond following the incident.
The chaos erupted at an intersection in Robbinsdale, Minnesota, where police responded to reports of a violent confrontation. Upon arrival, officers discovered a man bleeding from the head. The victim, who remains unnamed, recounted to police how he attempted to mediate what appeared to be a heated road rage dispute between two other drivers.
Law enforcement officials stated that when the man tried to intervene, Lyons allegedly attacked him with a golf club. The details of this alarming encounter are outlined in a statement of probable cause, which was reviewed by Law&Crime.
Surveillance footage captured the sequence of events leading up to the assault. It reveals that the road rage incident was triggered when a brown sedan aggressively overtook a red sedan and abruptly cut it off. The sudden maneuver forced both vehicles to stop, with a silver SUV, driven by the victim, coming to a halt behind them.
The situation escalated when the victim parked his SUV and approached the brown sedan. Lyons and Jentzen exited their vehicle, Lyons from the passenger side and Jentzen from the driver’s side, to confront the victim. A heated argument ensued, during which the driver of the red sedan drove away, leaving the scene.
As Jentzen and the victim continued their verbal argument, Lyons went back to the brown sedan to retrieve a golf club. While the victim was returning to his SUV, Lyons allegedly “ran at him with a golf club” and started beating him with it. Both men ended up fighting on the ground, and Jentzen allegedly went into the silver SUV and stole the other man’s keys. She then allegedly joined the physical fight, taking swings at the victim with the golf club herself.
After the alleged assault ended, Lyons and Jentzen got back into the brown sedan and left the scene.
On March 25, police tracked down the brown sedan and arrested Lyons and Jentzen. According to the statement, both Lyons and Jentzen made “spontaneous utterances” about the victim to the effect of, “He got what he deserved.”
Lyons was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon; Jentzen was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and aggravated robbery. Both were booked into the Hennepin County Jail and posted bond. Jentzen is due to appear in court on April 22; Lyons is scheduled to appear on April 23.
