HENDRY COUNTY, Fla — A group of people on motorcycles started shooting into a car while it drove along a road in Hendry County.
The woman who was in the car with her daughter reached out to Fox 4’s Hendry County Community Correspondent, Austin Schargorodski, because she knows he works in the area every day. She wants to know why the shooters haven’t been caught - and she wants people to see the video of what happened.
See the dash cam video from inside the woman's car:
A dash camera in the woman’s car caught the moment a group of motorcycle riders pulled up behind her.
“They’re shooting at me with my daughter in the car!” she screamed, followed by the sound of gunfire.
You hear the shots - and the fear in the woman’s voice.
“Oh my God! Oh my God!” she yelled, as she tried to stay calm and called 9-1-1 for help. “Ma’am, remain on the line,” the dispatcher responded.
At that moment, the audio cut off - but the video kept rolling. Through the back window, you can see a motorcycle move in. Then - muzzle flash. Three more shots. And the back window shattered.
The woman says the riders then braked for a U-turn and took off. She says she and her daughter weren’t injured, but they’re still shaken up. She’s still afraid of the bikers, so she asked not to show her face in the interview.
She told Fox 4 it started shortly after she passed a motorcycle meet-up at the Marathon gas station on SR-27, east of Clewiston, on a Sunday afternoon in March. The dash cam shows dozens of riders lined up on the road.
“All of a sudden these five guys - they passed by us at high speeds,” she said. “Then they started getting next to each other on the two lanes. And they started braking.”
She says it looked like they were lining up to stop traffic so they could race on the road. But it scared her, so - as seen in the video - she drove through their line.
A few miles later, she says they sped up and started shooting at her.
“When I hear the windshield in the back break... I started praying, like, oh my God. For God to just get my baby out of there safe,” she said through tears.
Fox 4 confirmed her version of what happened with Florida Highway Patrol. FHP says they’re investigating but don’t have any leads on a suspect.
The woman tells Fox 4 she avoids that road entirely now. Her car still bears the damage - bullet holes through the fenders, and a bullet lodged in the roof. Now, all she wants is justice.
“If they don’t get them, it might be too late for the next person. That’s just all I want,” she said.
FHP says they’ve sent Crime Stoppers information to help generate leads and have to issue a “be on the lookout” message.
