Police: Gulf Coast man arrested after family spat causes fatal pileup on Interstate

Published 8:46 am Friday, June 22, 2018

DIAMONDHEAD, Miss. (AP) — Police say one person is dead and another is in custody after a family argument caused vehicles to pile up on a Mississippi highway.

Fifty-six-year-old Fred Harris Johnson is charged with manslaughter and mayhem for the Thursday wreck on Interstate 10.

Diamondhead police Capt. John Luther said Johnson’s family was traveling in several vehicles from Gulfport to Louisiana when Johnson slammed on his brakes in front of a relative’s car, causing other vehicles behind the family procession to crash. A woman riding a motorcycle died at the scene, and a man was taken to a hospital.

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Johnson was in jail as of Thursday night. The newspaper doesn’t say if he has a lawyer.