Road rage between truckers erupts into rolling gunfight on Florida highway, cops say

A case of road rage involving two semi-truck drivers erupted into a rolling gunfight when the victim pulled out his gun and returned fire, according to Florida investigators.

It happened Sunday, March 3, along Interstate 75 near Ocala, and neither driver was struck, despite multiple rounds being fired, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office reports. Ocala is about an 80-mile drive northwest from Orlando.

Investigators say the dispute began when a driver based out of Chesapeake, Virginia, threw a water bottle at the victim’s truck as they passed each other on the interstate.

The suspect “then continued to follow the victim and eventually pulled alongside him again, at which time he fired several shots toward the victim,” the sheriff’s office said in a March 7 news release.

“After rapidly decelerating in an attempt to avoid being struck, the victim returned fire toward (the suspect) out of fear for his own life.”

The victim pulled off the interstate into a truck stop and reported the incident, resulting in detectives identifying a suspect and obtaining dash camera footage from his truck, officials said.

“The footage clearly depicted him shooting at the victim two separate times,” the sheriff’s office said. “(He) also retrieved a second handgun and pointed it at the victim without firing.”

The 43-year-old suspect was tracked down March 6 in Ocala and arrested with the help of the United States Marshal Service, officials said.

He is charged with “shooting a missile into a vehicle, aggravated assault, criminal mischief, and displaying a firearm during the commission of a felony,” the sheriff’s office said.

Detectives did not report other vehicles in the area were struck by stray gunfire.

This story was originally published March 7, 2024 at 1:27 PM with the headline "Road rage between truckers erupts into rolling gunfight on Florida highway, cops say."