A road rage incident escalated into a dangerous confrontation on I-75 in Punta Gorda when a driver pulled a gun on another motorist after a brief altercation. Charlotte County deputies have arrested Jose Cordero, who now faces a charge of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
The incident began when the victim honked his horn at Cordero for driving too slowly on the highway. The victim reported that after he honked, Cordero brake-checked him and began following him off the Harborview Road exit. According to the victim’s 911 call, the situation quickly turned threatening.
“We are heading west on Harborview. A gentleman just pulled a pistol on me,” the victim told 911 dispatchers. “That was a .45 or .40 caliber pistol. He held it straight out the window, pointed it straight at me.”
The victim described Cordero’s vehicle as a white Acura SUV, which was later tracked by authorities to Cordero’s home on Barcelona Street in Punta Gorda. Deputies arrested Cordero at his residence Tuesday.
Cordero, who is not a U.S. citizen, was initially held at the Charlotte County Jail but has since bonded out.
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