Posted on 08/27/2019 3:41:10 AM PDT by rarestia
TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. — Tarpon Springs Police are investigating a road rage incident that culminated in a shooting Saturday night.
Investigators said a man was driving a black Mercedes with his 9-year-old son in the car southbound on U.S. 19. A group of motorcyclists were in front of them.
"There was a group of motorcyclists that were doing almost a rolling roadblock type of thing where they were slowing down so other motorcyclists could do tricks in front of them," said Major Jeffrey Young with Tarpon Springs Police.
The man told police when he tried to go around them, they started kicking his car and followed him when he turned on Klosterman Avenue.
The situation escalated with the man and his son got stuck at a traffic light.
"At that point, 15-20 motorcyclists surrounded his vehicle and impeded his escape route. They started striking his vehicle," said Major Young. "He was in fear for his safety as well as that of this child. They did damage his vehicle and he wound up shooting outside his driver's window."
Resident Donald Bingler lives near where it happened and heard the commotion.
"We were startled by the noise. I immediately recognized it as gun shots," he explained. "My girlfriend woke up right afterwards, our dog started barking. At first we were hesitant to look out the window because I didn't want to get shot by anybody who might be patrolling the area and then the vehicles just flew by here."
Police said the motorcyclists fled the scene and the driver called 911.
A motorcyclist who was shot in the arm took himself to the hospital for treatment.
No arrests have been made.
Police are looking for the other people involved.
Anyone with information or surveillance video is being asked to call Detective Lemmon with the Tarpon Springs Police Department at 727-938-2849, Ext. 1636.
I was living in kali till 2005 and had read that gang members were joining the various kali police departments and were using their position to protect fellow gangsters.
US19 in this area is an 8 lane highway with a 55 mph speed limit. Blocking 4 lanes of southbound traffic for a bunch of idiots to do tricks would be pretty frustrating. Klosterman is a 4 lane road with a 45 mph speed limit through mostly residential areas. Sounds like dude was trying to get home at a reasonable time with his kid and had to deal with a bunch of feral yoots.
Motorcycle gangs blockade all the lanes of traffic so their fellow goons can then do tricks on the roadway in front. The police do nothing.
Police were a part of that gang.
Not guilty.
Perfectly justified.
Just wish he killed a bunch of the jerks.
You had better learn not to piss off folks in two ton punchers from that tiny ass bike of yours. It's not an equal fight and one that you best avoid. The fact that you attempt to ride a motorbike among much larger vehicles already has me questioning your sense of judgement. Inferring that you would attempt a fight from your unsafe bike tells me you are someone who does not have the mindset needed to safely ride one. Road rage is unpredictable and can kill you if you engage in it. Please, for your own sake, sell the bike and get a vehicle.
BS... a pack if people attacking someone deserve a bullet. They chased him and attacked him. They were not justified to start their attack even if he dared to pass them.
By the time they break the window, it might be too late. Whatever they used to break the widow would also be aimed at your head or your kid. I’m on the dad’s side. Just keep repeating he was afraid for his and his child’s life.
I am going to vote the other way from you. Why?
1. Disparity of numbers. A good legal reason to use deadly force.
2. The motorcyclists pursed him.
3. He was stuck at a traffic light and had no where to go. He tried to retreat & they followed him. Further retreat was not possible.
4. It is no trick at all for a motorcycle to block in a car -- not so much a guy on foot, but the bike is not an obstacle that a SUV can run over and get away. Both will suffer extensive damage, and the SUV can easily be immobilized by running over a bike.
“No arrests have been made.”
Let’s see:
False imprisonment, assault, unlawful detention, abduction, kidnapping….Take your pick. And they have one for sure that was treated at the hospital.
“Not sure I’d open fire because someone was damaging my vehicle unless and until they broke the glass….”
When you have a crowd of people that have already acted unlawfully as listed above, you are beyond the crowd swarm status and have turned into mob violence. The primary statute in Florida outlining when the use of deadly force is justified so as to avoid criminal liability is under Section 776.012, Florida Statutes (Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” Law). It reads: a person is justified in using deadly force (and does not have a duty to retreat) if he or she reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent the imminent commission of a forcible felony or to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another. Just the above crimes I mentioned are enough to qualify.
rwood
Cars made in the last 4 years and newer.....center punches no longer work. They began putting the laminated glass all around in a car (windshield glass) a few years ago.
In my more reckless days I seemed to be a magnet for the ragers. I came to realize that it was because of my own aggressive driving style. Once I got a grip on that I still noticed the ragers - but from a safer distance.
Don’t shoot the motorcyclists. Run over their bikes. That’s what’s important to them.
It’s called laying down suppressing fire to break contact.
Besides, being in a car, you really don’t have a wide range of motion to where you can take well aimed shots.
And in a situation like that, I wouldn’t want to hang my arm outside where it would be easier for the thugs to grab it.
It’s called “shoot through the glass”. A bullet WILL shatter a windshield, and any broken fragments will travel “out” away from the vehicle occupants (and “into” the aggressors). He then has a clear field of fire for aimed shots.
“The police do nothing.”
Direct heavy artillery fire here.
Only the windshield is laminated, and maybe the rear glass is too.
But the side windows are tempered glass and will break into little cube like pieces when broken.
I’ve had a logging truck kick up a pea sized pebble that blew out the glass on the rear door of my old truck
These free-for-all motorcycle and ATV shenanigans remind me of Old West cowboys coming off the trail and raising hell on Main street.
gangs of blacks on off-road vehicles have been storming through cities for years...
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