Man causes crash, attacks driver in Goodyear because “devil took over him,” police say

GOODYEAR, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) - Police say a man is in custody after intentionally crashing into another car that had two kids inside and choking the driver after “the devil took over him.” On Thursday, around 6 p.m., Goodyear police officers received a frantic 911 call from a man who said he was involved in a car accident, and the other driver was attacking him. Officers responded to the area of S. Estrella Parkway and Romley Road just south of the MC85 and detained a man, later identified as Jesse Michael Scott.

Police say that Scott admitted to crashing his Dodge Charger into the 2021 Dodge Durango, saying that “the devil took over his body” and that he “stopped listening to God.” The impact caused the Durango to spin out into the road. Inside the Durango was a father and his 1-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter. According to police, Scott attacked the man in the Durango and began choking him to the point where he started to lose consciousness. The man was able to break free from Scott’s attack and get help from witnesses in the area.

Scott was injured from fighting with the man and other witnesses. He was taken to a hospital and released a few hours later. During a follow-up interview with police, Scott told officers his name is now Jesus and said he had been having bad thoughts in his head for several days, court documents said. Police say Scott told them he couldn’t differentiate if the voices in his head were his thoughts.

According to court documents, when he saw the Dodge Durango, he heard a voice say, “to get him,” which led to the crash. Police say Scott jumped on the driver’s back and began choking him to “expel the demons from inside the driver.” Court documents say that Scott admitted he intended to kill the driver and didn’t know there were children in the car at the time. Scott was arrested and charged with one count of attempted murder and three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Copyright 2022 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.