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.
Funny how they call it a "road rage" incident but don't specify who was the "rager." Sounds like the motor-psycho morons were the ragers here, but the media doesn't like to let a crisis go to waste, don'tcha know. ESPECIALLY in Florida.
The driver needs to shoot center of mass.
“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.
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I seem to remember an incident like this occurring in NYC a few years back. 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.
These urban bike morons/scofflaws are a danger to themselves and others.
Mercedes driver...bikers doing road stunts...Florida.
Could be anyone’s or everyone’s fault.
This freeper applauds the guy in the SUV in southern kal(?) where he simply ran over those punks.
This freeper thinks when LEOs are trying to arrest those morons on motorcycles who are breaking the law in mobs, no license plates, and refuse to obey orders, this freeper thinks cops should just shoot them. After a few hundred dead lawless punks, it'll stop.
That's what I think.
If a gang of motorists surrounded my car and started beating on it, I wouldn't hesitate. With a child in the car, even more so.
And why the hell HASN'T at least the guy shot in the arm been arreated??/
Dirt bikes, ATV's take over D.C. streets, at least one injured in a simple assault
Saw it to a much smaller degree a few months ago in Norfolk, VA.
In and out of traffic, on sidewalks.
I’ve seen enough videos of these idjits, they have a pack mentality and when one is offended they all act. One video I watched showed them doing just what this guy said and the car had to run one of them over to get away.
Ok, MarkTwain’s video is the one, his link just doesn’t show the precursor to the beating.
Yeah. He had a kid in the car. No quarter. He did the correct thing. Scumbag was lucky he only got winged.
If I'm on the jury for the shooter's trial I'm going to be a tough sell on that reasonably in fear part. Yes the riders were being a**-hats. But trying to force your way through their little display a d*ck move too - an argument could be made that his impatience put their lives at risk. Their damaging his car was probably an over reaction, he must've really p****ed them off. But was his life in danger? To me the critical questions would be was his car still mobile, could he still move, and were the riders still on their bikes? As long as you are wrapped up in a couple of tons of steel you are more of a threat to the riders than they are to you. Punching and kicking your car isn't going to threaten your life. If they got off the bikes and were attempting to break into the vehicle then that's a different story. Then yeah, deadly force may be called for.
Long story short, the riders were at fault for breaking a few traffic laws and delaying a few people a few minutes. The driver is probably guilty of endangering them (I know, they were also endangering themselves) by driving through their foolishness. As a rider, I see kicking/ punching the car of someone that almost struck me as justified- you throw a two ton punch at me, yeah, your door or fender is going to have a scratch on it as a reminder. The deadly force is going to be very difficult to justify if they were still mounted.
They wouldn’t let the car go around and turn onto a different road. If your car is surrounded by motorcycles, you can’t just drive away. So he opened fire.
And the history from the previously-mentioned story of car/SUV occupants being pulled from their vehicle and beaten.
Has become an annual ‘event’ up there with the St Patricks Day Parade.
When they first acted, the Police did the right thing and rounded them up etc.
They were then ORDERED to not pursue them so in the ‘old ritual’ of “YOU told me to back down and not do my job, so NOW I will do NOTHING so as to not break a ‘rule’” and the Police basically sat back and ‘watched’...I saw one group where they had completely taken over a street etc and nary a Police in sight....’Following orders’....
Yesterday the Mayor said ‘they’ would be looking into stores and shops that sold and serviced these type vehicles so we all know the only ones that will be inconvienced will be the LEGITIMATE buyers and business owners.
Water cannons, rubber bullets and/or Police Dogs would seem to be an appropriate fix.
George Wallace, Bull Connor and Orville Faubus etal may have been rude & crude but they did have crowd control in hand UNTIL the Fed Government stepped in...
I AM NOT CONDONING the actions of the above mentioned just saying they ‘knew’ how to handle and disperse an unruly crowd.
BUT you just know some ‘fool’ will come out and say it is just ‘kids’ wilding and having fun before getting serious about returning to school and why ruin their lives over a little fun...UNTIL their own families and/or neighborhoods get overrun with these turds....
“Right turn Clyde”
I’m my 4x4 and locked in at an intersection with my child in the truck and a gang trying to break in to commit a forcable felony?
Dial 911, tell them in trying to escape, I fear for my child’s life and mine and on the way to the police station
Put it in low
Drive forward, straight to the local precinct.
If I drive over a bike, or whatever, in fleeing the threat, if rather be tried by twelve.
“As a rider, I see kicking/ punching the car of someone that almost struck me as justified-”
Never.
I move to strike this man from the jury, your honor.
I wonder if the motorist understood that his bringing out a gun would get a like gun reaction from the motorcyclists.
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