‘Road rage’ driver fires at other car, kills passenger and drives off, Florida cops say

A driver exhibiting road rage shot into another car on an interstate, killing the passenger and injuring the driver before taking off, Florida police said.

A man called police just before 9:15 p.m. on April 18 to say that he and his female passenger had been shot at on Interstate 4 in Plant City and that he was stopped at a fire rescue station, according to a news release from the Plant City Police Department.

Paramedics rendered aid to the driver and passenger, but the passenger died on scene, police said. The driver had upper body trauma and was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

The man told police that he was driving on the interstate, and someone in a silver or gray Toyota Prius was driving “recklessly” and exhibiting “road rage” toward him, the release says. The man said he did not know why the driver was acting this way.

The driver of the Prius then shot at the victim’s car before continuing to drive eastbound on the interstate, according to police.

“At this time this incident is believed to be an isolated incident and there are no known active threats to the community,” police said.

Police did not release any information about the victim.

Detectives are investigating the incident as a homicide and are still searching for the driver of the Prius, according to police. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Sgt. Baker at (813) 707-2271 or Detective Cowart at (813) 707-2270.

Plant City is about 25 miles northwest of Tampa. Interstate 4 runs from Tampa to Daytona Beach.

This story was originally published April 19, 2023 at 12:46 PM with the headline "‘Road rage’ driver fires at other car, kills passenger and drives off, Florida cops say."