GONZALES — What began as a routine drive to a Gonzales gas station earlier this year escalated into a violent confrontation that prosecutors say ended with an Ascension Parish councilman using his truck as a weapon.
Ascension Parish Councilman Joel Robert was arrested Monday, accused of attempting to run over a man during an alleged road-rage encounter outside a Chips to Go gas station in Gonzales on Jan. 2, 2026.
Construction zone incident
UWK spoke with Troy Harris, who recalled how Robert allegedly tried to strike him with a truck repeatedly during the confrontation. He says the incident began while he was driving north on Burnside Avenue toward the gas station.
“I was in the right lane, and I forgot that the construction was coming up,” Harris said. “I had to merge to the left lane, so I put my signal on to try to merge. That’s when I noticed the guy in the truck. He saw me trying to merge over, and he kind of sped up. It was either me go into the construction barricade or accelerate and jump over.”
Harris said he chose to merge and does not believe the maneuver forced the driver to brake or slow down.
“He didn’t have to slam on his brakes or anything like that,” Harris claimed. “But I guess he didn’t like the fact that I jumped over.”
Harris said he then pulled into the Chips to Go gas station and realized the truck, allegedly driven by Robert, had followed him.
“All you had to do was keep driving”
“I pulled right into the gas station, and he pulled directly to the pump behind me. I was looking at my side mirror the whole time,” Harris told UWK. “I sat in my car for maybe 10 seconds to see what he was going to do. He exited his truck and went to approach my car.
“I got out of my car to let him know, ‘Don’t approach me. All you had to do was keep driving or let me in.’ He started yelling all kinds of stuff. I tried to walk away.”
According to Harris, the confrontation escalated when Robert moved closer to his vehicle.
“He proceeds to walk past my car and puts his hands on my hood, and when he gets to my driver’s side window, he punches my window twice,” Harris said. “In that instant, I said, ‘I carry my firearm,’ but I knew I would get in trouble if I were to use my firearm, so I did the next best thing. He tried to damage my property, so I walked around the other side of my vehicle and tried to get a picture of his license plate.”
‘He tried to hit me like two or three times’
Harris said Robert then got back into his truck and attempted to strike him with it.
“He threw his truck in reverse and slammed it back. He grazed my hip and knocked my firearm off my side. I barely got out of the way,” he said.
Harris said Robert continued shifting between reverse and drive in an apparent attempt to hit him multiple times.
“(He tried) to hit me like two or three times with his truck,” Harris said. “Even after he was about to exit the parking lot, he threw his truck in reverse again and tried to back up into me when I was trying to get a picture of his license plate.”
The incident was reportedly caught on surveillance video. UWK has not reviewed that video as it remains part of an active investigation and cannot be released at this time.
After the encounter
Harris said he called police immediately after the truck left the gas station. He said he’s been in contact with investigators since the incident happened.
Harris said he did not know the identity of the driver at the time.
“I did not know who he was, but right after the incident, I was texting the officer, and he ran his license plate and sent me a picture,” Harris said. “He asked, ‘Was that the guy?’ I said, ‘Yeah, that’s the guy.’”
The man in the photo was reportedly Robert. Harris said he understands tempers can flare but believes the situation crossed a line.
“I understand we all get our tempers and stuff, but you don’t try to physically harm somebody with a Dodge Ram with mud tires on it.”
Councilman controversy
Robert, who represents the southeast portion of Ascension Parish, has been embroiled in controversy for several weeks.
In January, he was sued for defamation after a parish employee claimed a Facebook post made by Robert contained false allegations. The widely circulated post alleged inappropriate behavior, including a lap dance and drug use.
The Facebook post has since been removed.
Robert was previously censured by the Ascension Parish Council in 2020 after a profanity-packed voicemail was left on the phone of a parish secretary.
UWK reached out to Robert for comment on this report and his arrest. He responded, “No comment.”
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