Who is Avery Tomasco? Video shows CBS weatherman getting punched in the face in road rage incident
AUSTIN, TEXAS: A Texas weatherman has been punched in the face by a man during a road rage attack which was captured by a dashcam. The unnamed motorist is seen throwing punches at CBS Austin News meteorologist Avery Tomasco on a city highway.
Moments before the altercation, Tomasco attempted to merge onto a feeder road while the assailant pulled his Toyota Prius into the weatherman's lane in front of him, resulting in a hit after Tomasco failed to slow down his vehicle. To take pictures of his damaged car, he then stopped in a nearby parking lot where he was confronted by the enraged motorist, reported Daily Mail.
Who is Avery Tomasco?
Avery Tomasco became the full-time morning meteorologist for CBS Austin News in January 2022. Born in Houston born, he grew up in and attended Eanes Elementary, Hill Country middle school, and Westlake High School. Tomasco was fascinated by the field of weather reporting at a young age.
"I’d fall asleep to 'weather on the 80s' as a kid, always glued to Mark Murray and Jim Spencer during every storm chance, running quickly from the TV to the back deck with my dad to observe and learn while monitoring my rinky-dink weather station I got for Christmas one year," he wrote in his tweet announcing his promotion in 2022.
Tomasco who has won an Emmy for best weathercast in Texas graduated with a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Meteorology from Texas A&M University Bachelor and interned at FOX 7 Austin KTBC. Before joining CBS Austin, he earned his Certified Broadcast Meteorologist designation from the American Meteorological Society.
What led to the motorist punching Tomasco?
The distressing dashcam footage clearly showed the attacker confronting Tomasco. Recounting the incident, the weatherman said, "I yelled for help and got away from him as quickly as I could," and added, "Thankfully an off-duty police officer was nearby to help calm the situation and keep the peace."
Tomasco is now pressing charges against the assailant who attacked him while his school-aged daughter was in the car. The motorist, an Asian man was able to land only a glancing blow as the meteorologist was able to move his head away.
In an interview with his employer CBS Austin, Tomasco who appeared to be still shaken up by the attack said, "It was a sucker punch," and recalled, "He said one sentence with an obscenity in there - 'you hit my car'. I said, 'No, you hit my car.' And that's when he swung with his entire force."
Tomasco maintained a peaceful stance throughout the encounter while the motorist punched him in the face and eventually left the place. "Because of clear video evidence, I'm able to press charges and he will have an arrest warrant issued soon," he tweeted about the encounter. Referring to the attacker Tomasco said, "He will be taken to jail in the near future. His insurance will also have to fix my bumper and who knows what else."
Because of clear video evidence, I'm able to press charges and he will have an arrest warrant issued soon. He will be taken to jail in the near future. His insurance will also have to fix my bumper and who knows what else.
— Avery Tomasco (@averytomascowx) June 27, 2023