Athens police say the incident that happened in Athens last Saturday afternoon was not “politically motivated” but was an instance of road rage.

The statement was issued in response to media inquiries about the altercation in the Lowe's parking lot.

The questions were raised by a news release from the Alabama Republican Party that called the incident a “clearly politically motivated attack.” And it “upset my Limestone County Republican colleagues.”

but, Athens Police Chief Anthony Presnell, in a statement Tuesday, rejected that interpretation of the incident.

“Based on our investigation, it appears road rage sparked an altercation between the driver of one vehicle and a passenger in another vehicle.” “We've had a number of questions from the media about whether this was a politically motivated attack, but we've never reported that and we have no indication of that,” Police Chief Anthony Presnell said Tuesday.

Presnell said that per police policy, neither he nor investigators have discussed details of the incident with anyone other than those involved in the altercation. Police have taken statements from the women involved in the altercation, which began when one vehicle ran a stop sign, and have obtained video footage from Lowe's.

“Neither woman has said this was politically motivated,” Presnell said.

At this time, neither party has filed charges and Athens police say the case is closed.

One of the women identified by Tara Johnson's associates is a volunteer with the organization, according to a statement from ALGOP.

It was updated Wednesday to reflect the latest information from the Athens Police Department.