Man Goes Berserk on Beltline Highway

A violent road rage incident interrupted Tuesday morning’s local commute, causing a lengthy delay for many drivers.

According to Capt. Noel Kakuske, of the Middleton Police Department, rush hour traffic into Middleton and Madison was affected when Theodore Malchert, age 41 of Poynette, became enraged and assaulted another motorist with his vehicle and his fists, then used a windshield wiper to shatter another motorist’s window.

The incident occurred on the eastbound Beltline Highway, between Parmenter Street and Airport Road.

Reports claim Malchert followed the other driver, cut in front of him, and deliberately struck the front quarter panel of the vehicle. The collision caused the other driver to lose control and spin out on the highway, coming to rest facing the opposite direction of eastbound traffic.

Malchert struck the vehicle two more times with his automobile. Malchert then exited his vehicle, threw a cup of coffee against the other car, forced the door open and physically assaulted the male driver.

Malchert then began flagging down vehicles driving past him. When a woman stopped to assist him, Malchert climbed onto the hood of her car, pried off a windshield wiper and used it to shatter her driver’s side window, showering her and the interior of her vehicle with glass. The victim drove away and notified the police.

Malchert left the scene on foot, eventually making his way to his nearby employer. Malchert’s work colleagues learned of the accident and brought him back to the accident scene and he was arrested there.

Police said Malchert was uninjured and was not drug impaired.

The driver of the vehicle he initially struck was taken to the hospital complaining of thigh, chest and back pain. His injuries occurred from the accident, not the physical assault. The woman did not receive any injuries when her window was broken out.