Raging Bay Area woman in Nissan Altima squirts pepper spray in terrified Army veteran's eyes after accusing him of driving too SLOWLY

By LAURA PARNABY, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 15:19, 13 May 2026 | Updated: 15:27, 13 May 2026 A California woman has been caught on camera pepper-spraying a US Army veteran in the eyes during a vicious road-rage attack.  The unidentified woman was behind the wheel of a Nissan Altima on Monday morning when she cut veteran Joe Vallely off, apparently annoyed at his slower driving speed.  She leapt from her car while telling father-of-two Vallely he 'should be scared', before spraying an orange chemical liquid directly into his face. Vallely screamed out in pain, and later shared photographs of his bloodshot eyes on a fundraising page where he described feeling 'deeply shaken.' 'While driving my work bucket truck down a single-lane road, I was involved in a road rage incident,' he wrote, adding that he works as a laborer laying internet cables.   'A woman driving behind me became angry, and when the road opened up, she drove around and in front of me, slammed on her brakes, and forced me to stop.  'Before I could back up and drive away, she attacked me by pepper spraying me in the face from just a couple of feet away.  'The attack was completely unprovoked and has left me traumatized, afraid to leave my home, and fearful of driving on the local roads I travel every day for work.' Angry that driver in front of her was going slow on Vallejo street w/newly-installed “speed tables,” this woman drives around him, slams on her brakes, walks back to his work truck & pepper-sprays him. @VallejoPd investigating. Victim speaks out, 5 p.m. Only on @KTVU pic.twitter.com/nM9ORgIiHn The unidentified woman was behind the wheel of a Nissan Altima on Monday morning She cut veteran and father-of-two Joe Vallely off, apparently annoyed at his slow driving speed Vallely shared a photograph of his bloodshot eyes in the aftermath of the vicious incident  According to KTVU, the incident unfolded on Wilson Avenue along the waterfront of Vallejo, a city just across the bay from San Francisco.  'She got me directly in the eyeballs,' Vallely told the outlet on Tuesday. 'It felt like someone was sandblasting my eyeballs with glass.'  Vallely added that there are several speed bumps along Wilson Avenue which force motorists to drive well below the 30 miles-per-hour limit.  He said he was driving his bucket truck slowly 'because it's big and old and heavy'.  The US Army veteran said the woman began tailgating him and flipping him off.   'She slammed on her brakes, she forced me to slam on my brakes. And there's cars behind me that almost hit me. I almost hit the lady,' he recalled. Vallely's video shows that he backed his car away from the woman when she approached, and he did not engage with her.  This didn't stop her from launching her violent attack, however, and he was left in excruciating pain for hours after the incident.  The Bay Area woman was driving a red Nissan Altima - a budget-brand car which became an internet meme after some owners built a reputation for being reckless on the road.  The Bay Area woman was driving a red Nissan Altima - a budget-brand car which became an internet meme after some owners built a reputation for being reckless on the road  The California woman leapt from her car while telling father-of-two Vallely he 'should be scared', before spraying an orange chemical liquid directly into his face, as shown above Vallely said the attack 'felt like someone was sandblasting my eyeballs with glass' Enthusiasts have uploaded photographs and videos dedicated to 'Big Altima Energy' typified by car crashes, hair-raising police chases and comical mistakes.  The craze stems from a reckless, laissez-faire attitude to the road, where motorists drive around without windows or with huge dents and don't care about the damage. Vallely, meanwhile, said he suffers from service-related PTSD which leaves him constantly on edge. 'Life has thrown many challenges my way, but I still try to be part of my community and give back whenever I can,' he wrote on his fundraising page. 'Any donation you can make will not only help with legal fees but will also support my family and help us relocate to a safer place.' The Daily Mail has contacted Vallejo Police for more information.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? 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