Chevy Chase Alleged Attacker Claims He Was Defending Himself

News broke on Thursday that comedic actor Chevy Chase allegedly got into a road rage altercation with a driver in New York on Feb. 9. But according to the man involved in the fight, Chase got what was coming to him.

Michael Landrio, a 22-year-old UPS worker told The Wrap that he, his girlfriend and another couple were traveling north on the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge over the Hudson River when a Blue Mercedes pulled up next to him.

“We were in the right lane and as we came up to the bridge we went to the middle lane,” Landrio said. “It was an old guy yelling — something we couldn’t hear — super pissed-off. … We just tried to get the heck away from him. He followed us the whole length of the bridge, driving crazy.”

Landrio said Chase weaved in and out of traffic to pursue his car. He opted to pull over in South Nyack after Chase pulled ahead and blocked their car, and realized the man following him was the Saturday Night Live alum. But he wasn’t in the mood for jokes.

“My friend opened his window and just said, ‘I apologize, we were just trying to go upstate,’” Landrio said.

“You know who the f— I am?” Landrio said Chase screamed. “Then he started cursing at me for no reason and said, ‘I am going to ruin your lives!’ I said, ‘F— you!’

Chase then lunged at the car door.

“I’m going to punch you in the nose’ and he came after me and had his hands in my face,” Landrio said. “I said, ‘Get the f— away from me!’”

Landrio said Chase made it into the car and swung a punch but missed. Landrio fought back with a kick, hurling Chase back out of the car.

“I closed my car door and locked it but he was still trying to get in at me when a nurse and an off-duty cop escorted him away,” Landrio said. “I didn’t know who he was — I was just trying to defend myself. He was physically trying to harm me.”

Chase’s account the of the incident goes quite a bit differently, claiming he wanted to speak to Landrio “about his reckless driving,” according to an interview with TMZ.

Landrio was hit with a second degree harassment charge.