A St. Johns County man told deputies he displayed a firearm out of self-defense during a wild road rage encounter in St. Augustine last month — but the people in the other vehicle said they feared for their lives when he trained the gun on them.
According to a sheriff’s office affidavit, the man said he retrieved a Ruger PC Charger 9mm pistol, equipped with a pistol-brace stock, and placed it on his lap in plain view of the other driver after feeling threatened.
He claimed the other driver had honked, made obscene gestures, and swerved toward his vehicle in what he believed was an attempt to run him off the road.
The 39-year-old said he intended the display to de-escalate the situation and did not realize there were other people in the victims’ vehicle.
He wanted them to know he “was armed and willing to defend himself,” the arrest report states.
He also told deputies he had been assaulted in a previous road rage incident — where someone “beat the s— out of him” — and wanted to avoid a similar outcome.
The individuals in the other vehicle, however, alleged the firearm was not simply displayed — but pointed directly at them.
One of the victims identified the man in a photo lineup, and all parties involved gave sworn statements and said they wished to pursue charges.
While deputies did not arrest him at the scene, he has since been charged with two felony counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
The case is pending.
