An ex-boyfriend of a woman charged with killing a Navy serviceman during an apparent road rage wreck described her aggressive behavior in an interview with NBC7.
“A really aggressive, possessive person, like she was really…you know, I can’t explain, can’t use words to describe her,” said Danny, who asked us not to use his last name for privacy concerns.
On May 28, at around 5:30 p.m., Imperial Beach resident Darla Jackson was driving her black Nissan Altima northbound on Interstate 5 near E Street in Chula Vista when officials said she got into some type of dispute on the roadway with U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer Zacharia Buob, who was on his motorcycle.
After the two drivers transitioned from I-5 to eastbound State Route 54 and passed National City Boulevard, Jackson allegedly intentionally hit Buob’s motorcycle, running him over, California Highway Patrol officials said.
Buob was critically injured in the crash and died a short time later at a local hospital. Jackson was arrested and now faces one count of murder in what investigators are calling an act of road rage.
Danny said when Darla filed a restraining order against him, he was glad.
"She tried to make up something about me, like I was doing it, but in reality it was vice versa," Danny said. "I'm like, okay, fine, you want a restraining order. I don't even care as long as it gets me away from you. I don't have anything to worry about."
His story is similar to a claim made by another, saying Jackson threatened to "kill him" and that she was going to "hurt herself, then call police and blame him."
"At first she seemed like a normal person, she seemed super normal," Danny said. But then she would show up at his house unannounced or became jealous when he talked to her friends.
"She's a threat," Danny said. "She's threatened me lots of times, saying she's going to come to my house, do something physical to harm me."
At an arraignment Tuesday, the judge set Jackson's bail at $1 million.
Jackson's attorney, Stephen Cline, said she is sorry and explained how the deadly crash happened.
"The guy sped past her with a motorcycle, he got mad about something, he kicked her car, she chased after him and they collided in the end when they ran into traffic," Cline said.
A witness to the incident captured the alleged road rage on cellphone video just moments before the deadly collision. In the footage, a dark-colored car can be seen tailing a motorcycle.
Court records show two ex-boyfriends filed for temporary restraining orders against Jackson, weeks apart from each other.
Buob’s mother, Kathy, is now left with the pain of her son’s death, planning a funeral for him. She released a statement to NBC 7 Tuesday, titled “Memories of Zach Buob," that called him "a loving son, brother, grandson, nephew, cousin and friend."
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Read the statement in full by clicking here.
