Caleb Robert Collette, 21, of Schererville, is facing felony charges after police said he waved a handgun at another driver during a road rage incident Saturday afternoon in Hammond.
According to court documents, police were dispatched around 2:55 p.m. on May 16 to the 6900 block of Kennedy Avenue for a reported weapons offense involving a driver allegedly being brake-checked by another motorist who was waving a firearm.
Police said the suspect vehicle was described as a white Chrysler 300 driven by a white male possibly in his 20s. Officers later observed a matching vehicle traveling southbound on Kennedy Avenue and conducted a traffic stop near Kennedy Avenue and Duluth Street in Highland.
According to the affidavit, Collette told officers he had a handgun in a backpack on the passenger seat. Police said officers recovered a Glock Model 43X semi-automatic 9mm handgun with an extended magazine loaded with 19 rounds of live ammunition. The handgun allegedly had a sight attached and an enlarged red bottom on the magazine.
Court documents state Collette admitted he was yelling at the other driver and said he opened his car door to wave his hand at her. The woman told police the driver repeatedly brake-checked her vehicle in traffic before opening his driver-side door and waving a handgun at her.
According to investigators, the woman described the handgun as small with a “big bottom,” referring to the extended magazine. Police stated the firearm recovered from the vehicle was consistent with the description given by the woman to dispatchers and officers.
Court documents state the woman later told investigators the driver began brake-checking her “without any apparent reason” and became increasingly aggressive. She said the driver leaned out of the vehicle and shouted at her before waving the handgun from inside the vehicle in what she described as a threatening manner intended to scare her.
The woman told investigators she feared for her life and was “literally shaking in fear” during the encounter. Police said she immediately called 911 after seeing the handgun and later located a nearby Highland police officer, pulling alongside the officer’s squad car to report the incident. Court documents state the officer then immediately pursued the suspect vehicle.
Investigators said Collette allegedly followed the woman for approximately six blocks after the incident began. Court documents state the southbound portion of Kennedy Avenue had been reduced to one lane, creating what investigators described as a dangerous situation because evasive action could have forced the woman into oncoming traffic.
During transport to jail, police said Collette stated, “All I did was open my car door and say ‘What’ to her because she was following me too close.” Court documents also state Collette denied the allegations and claimed he believed someone was setting him up.
Lodged in the Lake County Jail.
Charges filed May 18, 2026:
- Intimidation-Defendant Draws Or Uses A Deadly Weapon, Level 5 Felony
- Criminal Recklessness Committed With A Deadly Weapon, Level 6 Felony
- Aggressive Driving, Misdemeanor
