Drunk man from Casper pulls out knife, flees and causes accident

Two separate affidavits were filed – one regarding the collision and one regarding an altercation at the Gail Gardens Apartments.

In the altercation, Austin Anthony Laughman is accused of aggravated assault, fleeing or attempting to elude police officers and disturbing the peace, according to court documents. In the affidavit filed as a result of the accident, he is accused of driving under the influence of alcohol, driving without insurance and reckless driving.

On May 27 at 8 p.m., Casper Police responded to a 911 call at the Gail Gardens Apartments regarding a man and woman yelling at each other outside the apartment complex.

Police saw a dark colored Dodge Avenger, later identified as the car Laughman was driving, flee the scene. Police attempted to catch up to the vehicle but were unsuccessful as the car was traveling at a high rate of speed.

When questioned by police, Laughman said he left the apartment complex drunk and drove across town at over 100 miles per hour to get home.

Laughman also told police that he “did not stop his vehicle because he did not want to be contacted by police.”

A police affidavit revealed that a woman lived in the complex with whom Laughman had been communicating on Facebook since December and to whom he occasionally sent money to help her financially.

Police questioned the woman, who told them that Laughman wanted her to return the $75 he had given her two weeks earlier because they were having problems in their relationship.

An hour before the incident, Laughman sent a message to one of her friends telling him he was going to smash the windows of her car, the affidavit states.

She told police that Laughman smelled strongly of alcohol when he entered the apartment complex.

According to police, other people at the scene said they told Laughman to leave, which led to a shoving match as Laughman tried to get closer to the woman. He then went back to his car and pulled out a hunting knife with a fixed silver blade and a bone handle, an affidavit said.

Laughman told police that several people in the facility pushed him and pulled his hair.

According to court documents, Laughman pointed the knife at a man at the scene and threatened him “multiple times, saying, ‘I’m going to stab you,’ ‘I’m going to shoot you,’ and ‘I’m going to kill you,’ as he approached the man,” the affidavit states.

The man Laughman threatened pulled out a pocket knife and another man at the scene pulled out a gun and pointed it at the ground, an affidavit states.

According to the affidavit, Laughman left the scene when police arrived.

Less than an hour later, police responded to a crash at the intersection of Casper Mountain Road and Wyoming Boulevard. Laughman’s vehicle was found in a ditch near the intersection.

Laughman told police that he thought he was going to pass a vehicle at high speed, but instead crashed into the back of a vehicle carrying three small children and their mother.

While speaking to paramedics, he screamed, “I’m not going to lie, I’m completely exhausted,” the affidavit states.

According to records, Laughman told police at the scene of the accident that he drank seven Coors Lights and six shots of Fireball between 3 and 8 p.m.

According to police, Laughman failed several sobriety tests and a breath test at the Natrona County Detention Center revealed a blood alcohol content of 0.10%.

According to court records, Laughman was arrested at the scene of the accident on charges of drunken driving, reckless driving and no insurance.