A man from Montana is under arrest after allegedly intentionally and repeatedly targeting three motorcycles with his car in south-central Montana, resulting in the death of one motorcyclist, Carbon County officials stated. The suspect, Michael J. Gambale, is facing charges of deliberate homicide and attempted deliberate homicide. He was apprehended in Cody, Wyoming, and is awaiting an extradition hearing on Friday.
Reportedly, witnesses revealed that a silver car tried to run two brothers off the road while they were on their motorcycles near Rockvale. The car struck one of the riders on the leg, but the brothers managed to avoid being forced off the road. The driver then allegedly made a U-turn and drove on the wrong side of the highway to pursue one of the brothers, causing them to jump a curb to evade being hit. The brothers described the driver as agitated, yelling, and making obscene gestures.
Later that day, another motorcycle was forced off the road near Belfry, resulting in the death of 70-year-old Martin Hans Peter from Switzerland. Peter’s passenger sustained injuries and was hospitalized in Billings. When Gambale was arrested in Wyoming, his car showed damage on the driver’s side and was lacking a plastic cover for the passenger side mirror, which was found at the scene of the fatal crash.
Gambale, currently in custody in Cody, also faces a hearing for a Wyoming probation violation. His lawyer, Rives White, did not respond to requests for comments. Gambale claimed he felt harassed by a motorcycle gang after an encounter on Interstate 90 near Laurel, Montana. Nonetheless, witness statements did not align with his version of events, as per Carbon County Attorney Alex Nixon.