Two men are facing charges in an apparent road rage incident on Macleod Trail in southeast Calgary, when the driver of a van was forced off the road, pulled out and assaulted.

Police said the van was heading south on Macleod Trail near 194th Avenue S.E. on Tuesday when a Land Cruiser started driving aggressively towards it, swerving to force it to the side of the busy thoroughfare.

The vehicles stopped and two men got out of the Land Cruiser.

One opened the driver's door and began assaulting the driver before pulling him out of the vehicle. Then the second man joined in the attack, police said.

Passersby intervened, along with paramedics who happened to be nearby, and the two men took off.

Police were able to track two suspects and arrest them.

One man is charged with assault and the other with dangerous driving and assault, police said Wednesday.

Similar attack last week

The incident is similar to an attack on a woman in northwest Calgary last week that garnered nationwide headlines.

Karalie Red Old Man was driving her daughter on the evening of Dec. 7 when she said a BMW began honking, seemingly because its driver couldn't pass her at Fourth Street and 40th Avenue N.W.

Police say the BMW then aggressively tailgated the van, rear-ending it at one point.

When Red Old Man stopped near the Mount Pleasant Sportsplex in the northwest, police said the driver of the BMW boxed her in.

Red Old Man says one of the two men got out of the BMW, grabbed her head and smashed it against her car, cutting her lip and breaking her glasses.

She says she grabbed a hockey stick from the van to defend herself, but one of the two men grabbed it and smashed out her van's windows.

When bystanders called police, the men drove away in a silver two-door BMW with Alberta plates.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 403-266-1234 or Crime stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Police say if you are threatened by another driver, you should not engage the other person. They say you should dial 911 if you feel unsafe, and drive to a well-lit area with people.