Florida man attacks driver with knife during road rage incident, cops say
A Florida man attacked a driver with a knife and the victim pulled out a gun, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said.
An intense road rage dispute between two motorists in Florida landed one of them behind bars Tuesday after he pulled out a knife, prompting the victim to display a gun, authorities said.
Rafael Vincent Rivera, 50, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill in connection with the confrontation in Palm Coast, about 80 miles north of Orlando, the Flagler County Sheriff's Office said.
"Tragic disagreements should never result in violence in our streets," Sheriff Rick Staly said in a statement.
Rivera was driving a Silver Toyota Tacoma when the victim cut in front of him with a motorcycle near an intersection at Pine Lakes Parkway and Whirlaway Drive around 1 p.m., he told authorities. When they both came to a stop, Rivera allegedly exited his vehicle holding a knife.
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The motorcyclist became concerned and grabbed his metallic knuckles, authorities said. After they exchanged words during a tense confrontation that was captured on cellphone video by the victim's wife, Rivera began "slashing" his knife toward the victim, the sheriff's office said.
The motorcyclist, who is licensed to carry a concealed weapon, pulled out a handgun and told Rivera to back away, which he did, according to the footage.
Both men were detained when authorities arrived. After interviewing witnesses and watching video footage of the incident, Rivera was arrested.
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"I applaud the way the motorcyclist handled the situation," Staly said. "After his life was clearly threatened, he lawfully defended himself and then de-escalated the situation. The offender is lucky he was not shot."
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