Road rage sometimes builds out of small, dumb steps. This played out on a late October day in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, near the Waukesha County Technical College campus. There, two drivers with a 62-year age gap turned impatience and pride into felony charges and a hospital visit.

According to prosecutors, the trouble began on Gulf Road and continued onto Main Street near College Avenue. Oliver McSorley, a 19-year-old from Waukesha County, was driving behind an 81-year-old man in a pickup.

Several road rage movements between the two ended with the teen punching the elderly man in the head multiple times. The police were called to the scene.

However, the 81-year-old man admits that he wasn’t completely without blame.

Reportedly, the altercation kicked off when McSorley allegedly tailgated the older driver

That behavior violates Wisconsin’s “following too closely” statute, which requires drivers to leave a “reasonable and prudent” distance based on speed and conditions.

But the older motorist admitted he responded by slowing down. That decision might have felt satisfying in the moment, but it can also violate traffic law if done deliberately to impede the flow of vehicles…or provoke another driver.

McSorley then aggressively passed the truck and cut back in front of it. Prosecutors say that maneuver crossed into unsafe passing and improper lane usage. It also poured gasoline on a situation that was already smoldering.

Instead of disengaging, the 81-year-old caught up to McSorley at a red light, then made things even worse

He admitted inching his truck forward until it struck McSorley’s bumper.

Even at low speed, that’s an at-fault collision and yet another clear traffic violation. It also turned a road rage encounter physical.

Both drivers pulled over. Words were exchanged. Then things went sideways fast

Prosecutors say the older man pushed McSorley. That shove matters legally, too. It can be considered disorderly conduct or battery, depending on circumstances.

But McSorley’s response is what put this case into felony territory. Authorities say he repeatedly punched the 81-year-old in the head and body, even after the man curled into a fetal position.

A 911 caller described it as “relentless.”

The victim reported blood coming from both ears and an eye, along with scrapes, bruises, and what he believed was a concussion. Because the victim is over 60, McSorley is charged with “battery to an elder person,” a more serious offense under Wisconsin law.

Prosecutors rejected McSorley’s claim that he feared the older man had a gun, saying there was no evidence to support it.

After driving off, the road rage teen later turned himself in

From jail, he made recorded calls expressing regret only that he had not beaten the man more severely.

According to WISN 12, McSorley was released and is due back in court in February. He has no criminal record, but he did pay a ticket earlier this year for driving 106 mph on a Waukesha County freeway.