Ending road rage: ‘Just Breathe’ campaign continues
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Just breathe – it’s become the message worth repeating every time you get in your car. It originally came from the family of Lilly Garcia, a four-year-old girl who died in a road rage shooting in 2015.
Since then, her family has made it their mission to prevent a similar tragic loss.
Albuquerque and Bernalillo County signed on too – they relaunched the “Just Breathe” campaign in October, with signs included.
“It not only affects the two drivers that are involved, but everybody who’s inside the vehicle could also ultimately end up being a victim of that incident as well,” said Commander Benito Martinez with APD’s Traffic Division.
Martinez said it’s great to see the signs popping up again.
“It helps make people aware and gets them thinking, if they do see a sign,” Martinez said. “And there is a little girl’s face on it, it does get you to think and drive more defensively, I guess as opposed to offensively.”
But, there’s more work to do. Albuquerque police made two road rage-related arrests over the past weekend.
Officers arrested Izaiah Romero for firing shots in the air on Central after someone honked at him. He is charged with shooting from a vehicle and unlawful carrying.
Prosecutors filed to keep him in jail, but a judge denied the request.
Officers also arrested Wyshana Valentine for flashing a gun at a man and his daughter on Unser. Valentine told the officer she “pointed her fingers like a gun” but the victim said he saw one.
“They did a search warrant on the vehicle and a firearm was found inside that vehicle,” Martinez said.
Valentine is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. She is already out of jail.
APD says offender information is especially important in road rage incidents, so try to be as specific as possible if you do report something.