BRANDON, FLOIRDA — The Florida Highway Patrol is requesting assistance in locating a couple who were captured on video attacking a woman’s car in Brandon, following a minor accident on Tuesday. The troopers reported that the couple fired at the 31-year-old woman before assaulting her vehicle.
The incident occurred at around 5 p.m. near the intersection of Orient Road and Hillsborough Avenue, where the parties involved had an exchange that did not end well, according to Sgt. Steve Gaskins. The woman then left the scene and was stopped at a red light at the intersection of U.S. 301 and Martin Luther King Boulevard, where the couple began to scream, kick and shout at her.
Despite being terrified, the woman was not injured, and her car was not hit by gunfire. Both parties left the scene unscathed. Gaskins cautioned drivers to never engage with other drivers and advised them to exit the situation if possible, call for assistance, and remain calm if they find themselves in a similar situation.
With this type of violence shown, in many states, the use of deadly force would likely be warranted. If you feel that your life is in immediate danger, including death or serious bodily injury, you may be justified. Make sure that you know your state’s laws on self-defense, and what is acceptable if you ever find yourself in a similar situation.
We don’t know what would have happened if either of these two got to the woman in the car, but by the looks of things, it wouldn’t have been pretty.
Additionally, when you pull up anywhere and are stopping, such as a red light like in this case, make sure to leave space between you and the vehicle ahead of you. If you do, you give yourself more chances to drive away to a safer place, instead of being boxed in and at the attacker’s mercy.
