HAINES CITY, Fla. — A 46-year-old man is in custody after police say he opened fire during a road rage incident Thursday morning on U.S. Highway 27, narrowly avoiding tragedy for a driver and his 3-year-old passenger.
Just before 8 a.m. on November 6, Haines City police responded to reports of shots fired near U.S. 27 and Davenport Boulevard. The victim told officers that a white Lexus SUV had cut him off, forcing him to swerve to avoid a crash. After he regained control and passed the SUV, the driver of the Lexus pulled alongside him, and multiple gunshots rang out.
The victim, who had a 3-year-old child in the backseat, immediately called 911 and gave dispatchers the suspect’s license plate number. Officers recovered three spent 9mm shell casings from the roadway and traced the vehicle to a woman who told detectives she had loaned it to a friend — 46-year-old Charles Fitzalbert Worges.
Dash camera footage from the victim’s vehicle showed the suspect’s arm extended from the driver’s side window, firing several rounds into the air.
Worges was arrested later that day during a traffic stop by Haines City’s Crime Suppression Team. He faces charges of discharging a firearm from a vehicle within 1,000 feet of a person and aggravated assault with a firearm.
“It’s a miracle that no one was seriously injured during this uncalled-for incident,” said Police Chief Jay Hopwood. “Not only for the driver and his 3-year-old, but also for everyone nearby. Firing a weapon into the air is reckless and dangerous — those stray bullets could have easily hurt or killed someone.”
No injuries were reported, and Worges was booked into the Polk County Jail.
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.