Pickup Driver Shoots Out Tire After 65-Year-Old SUV Driver Allegedly Draws Gun in Florida Road Rage Over Exhaust Smoke

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PUNTA GORDA, FL — A pickup truck driver fired at the front tire of another driver’s SUV on Monday, Oct. 26, after the other man allegedly pulled a gun from his waistband during a road rage confrontation that started over exhaust smoke, according to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office.

The SUV driver, 65-year-old Stephan M. Clark, is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill. The pickup driver has not been publicly identified and faces no charges at this time. The sheriff’s office has turned the case over to the State Attorney’s Office for further review.

Shortly after 1 p.m., the sheriff’s office received separate 911 calls from people involved in the incident. Deputies found both vehicles and both drivers near Tribune Boulevard and Tamiami Trail. One was a white SUV and the other a red pickup truck. The SUV had bullet holes and a flat tire. Because firearms were involved, the Major Case Unit took over the investigation.

Detectives interviewed each driver separately. According to the sheriff’s office, Clark was upset that the red pickup truck was intentionally blowing thick black smoke while it was in front of him. That led to an angry exchange and hand gestures.

Neither man comes out of that first part looking good. Deliberately blowing thick black smoke at the car behind you is a provocation, plain and simple. But according to the sheriff’s office, that first exchange ended, and Clark is the one who brought it back.

Clark re-engaged the pickup driver. He pulled a gun from the holster in his waistband, deputies said. The pickup driver drew his own firearm, which the sheriff’s office says he did out of fear. He fired at the front tire of Clark’s SUV.

According to the sheriff’s office, the pickup driver aimed at the tire on purpose. He was trying to disable Clark’s vehicle so he could get away and call law enforcement, and he chose that spot to avoid hitting Clark.

I would not hold that up as a technique. A round aimed at a tire is still a round fired on a public road near a busy intersection, and it goes somewhere whether it hits the tire or not. Pulling the trigger is pulling the trigger, no matter where the sights are. The question in front of the State Attorney’s Office is whether the pickup driver faced an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm when he fired.

Clark told detectives he never drew his weapon. The pickup driver’s account contradicted that. He described where Clark’s firearm was on his person, its color, and other details the sheriff’s office says could only be described by someone who had seen it. Based on the totality of the investigation, deputies arrested Clark.

That detail decided which story held up. Noticing what a threat looks like and remembering it under stress is part of the mindset of anyone who carries. Here, it was the difference between one man’s word against another’s and a case detectives could act on.

Sheriff Bill Prummell did not hold back in the release.

“If you are unable to control your emotions while driving, then you should stay off the roads. Everyone gets frustrated at times with traffic or the recklessness of individuals, but that is not a reason to escalate the situation by brandishing a firearm. This entire situation was avoidable, and it could have resulted in far worse consequences than an arrest. People need to take a minute and breathe before reaching for a gun. I am tired of irresponsible gun owners creating problems for everyone else.”

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He is right that it was avoidable. If you carry in your vehicle, your job in a road rage encounter is to create distance, not to set up a second round.

Clark was still being processed at the Charlotte County Jail when the sheriff’s office released its account on Oct. 28. The charge is an allegation, and he is presumed innocent unless convicted. The State Attorney’s Office will make the final call on the pickup driver.

Read the original story: Pickup Driver Shoots Out Tire After 65-Year-Old SUV Driver Allegedly Draws Gun in Florida Road Rage Over Exhaust Smoke