Road rage lands Stateline man in jail on weapons, drug charges

A Stateline man was arrested by South Lake Tahoe police officers on a slew of chargers in what started as a road rage incident.

A 911 called was placed Dec. 4 at 8:55pm that turned into a handgun brandishing. The caller said a green Chevrolet pickup had been tailgating him until he stopped at a light on Highway 50 near Stateline.

“That was when the tailgater pulled up next to him and pointed a handgun at him,” Sgt. Shannon Laney said in a statement.

Officers located the green Chevy on Lake Tahoe Boulevard near Silver Dollar Ave and conducted a high risk traffic stop. All traffic on Lake Tahoe Boulevard was stopped temporarily while officers took the suspect into custody.

William Coaker was arrested with a .38-caliber handgun and ammunition, more than a pound of marijuana, a machete and a Marine “Ka-bar” knife in his truck, according to Laney. Officers said Coaker admitted to the brandishing and stated he was “in fear for his safety” when he showed the victim the gun.