Via Pajamas Media, here's a tale of road mob psychosis:

MILWAUKEE, Dec. 27, 2005 (AP Online delivered by Newstex) -- At least 15 young people dragged a motorist out of his car and kicked and punched him, causing severe head trauma, after he honked his horn to get them to move out of a street, police said.

It was the latest in a series of mob beatings in the city.

The 50-year-old man was in critical condition Tuesday and it was unclear whether he would survive, police spokeswoman Anne E. Schwartz said.

Schwartz said the man was driving alone on the city's north side late Monday when he honked at the group of young people in the middle of a road.

"Instead of moving they surrounded the vehicle," and kicked and beat him, she said.

"They left him for dead and when we showed up he was lying in the street," she said.

Officers hadn't made any arrests Tuesday, she said.

But that is no excuse for what may well have been rudeness on the part of the driver. Being in a car does not entitle a driver to behave any differently than he would were he walking down the street. I'm reminded of an incident in New Jersey in which a driver who'd been cut off in traffic followed another driver all the way home, ran him down with his car, whereupon the injured driver struck back with his fists and killed the other driver. He'd have been equally justified in shooting back, and that is true notwithstanding his initial rudeness.

Cases like this make me wonder whether armed drivers might not be a bit slower to anger in situations that provoke confrontations. There's truth to that old saying -- "An armed society is a polite society."

Most of the people I've known who carry guns also understand the consequences of escalation, and consequently, they're slower to do things like flip people the bird.

MORE: According to this organization working to change the laws, Wisconsin is "one of only four states that prohibits anyone other than police officers from carrying concealed weapons."

I'd say it's a good place to be a criminal.

UPDATE (12/30/05): Five uveniles may soon be charged with the mob beating:

Two are 17 years old, two are 16 and one is 14, according to a police statement that did not give the genders of the suspects in the attack on Samuel McClain, a 50-year-old father of 12. Police continue to seek more suspects, the release said.

"We're talking to a lot of people to try to get to the bottom of what happened," said police department spokeswoman Anne E. Schwartz.

"We're getting some tips," she added, but declined to be specific.

Thomas Potter, a Milwaukee County assistant district attorney, was handling the case.

"I'm going to be talking to a lot of people over the next day and a half," Potter said, estimating he would likely interview more than a dozen witnesses.

A group of as many as 15 youths punched, kicked and jumped on McClain after he honked for them to move out of the street Monday night, witnesses said.

AND MORE: According to this report, three teens have already been arrested.

CNN has another report of the arrests, as well as pictures.