Fort Myers man arrested after PIT maneuver in Martin County sends family’s car into fence

A Fort Myers man was arrested after an apparent road rage incident Saturday night on I-95 in Martin County that caused a family’s vehicle to crash into a barbed wire fence and left them hiding in the woods. Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said the incident involved a woman traveling in her own vehicle and her brother, his wife, and their young son following in another vehicle while on vacation from North Carolina. "He tries to run the sister off the road, makes multiple attempts to run her off the road, brake checks her a couple of times. She starts panicking, calling her brother and saying there is something going on, I'm not sure what it is," Budensiek said. He said the brother caught up to the suspect, identified as Michael Spires, who then targeted his vehicle. At one point, Spires performed a pit maneuver, causing the family’s vehicle to spin off the road and crash into a barbed wire fence. Body camera footage shows the family emerging from the woods where they had been hiding after fleeing their vehicle. "The family at that point is extremely alarmed. They think he may be armed; they know he's not thinking clearly, so they jump out of the car, and they flee and they're hiding in the woods," Budensiek said. Spires drove to a nearby gas station and stayed there before speaking with investigators. "I got out of the car, and this blue car ran into me," Spires said. Spires, who is from Fort Myers, was taken into custody and appeared before a judge Monday afternoon. Officials said he had a dog in his vehicle at the time of the incident, which they later learned was stolen from his ex-boyfriend. The dog has since been returned. The sheriff said no one was injured during the incident. "The sister had driven about a few miles further up the road. She came back to the scene to tell her story. They're all safe, but only by the grace of God they are safe because this could have been so much worse," the sheriff said. Detectives said Spires was arrested and charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and child abuse. DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.