CAPE CORAL, Fla. — Cape Coral police officers arrest man accused of pointing a gun at victims after a road rage incident.
According to Cape Coral Police Department (CCPD), On August 9, 2023 around 10:33 a.m., officers responded to 1100-Block of Southeast 8th Terrace in reference to a possible disturbance with weapons.
The caller said they had a handgun pointed at them by an unknown man and that they had a recording of the incident.
Once officers arrived, the victim said the suspect, later identified as Craig Allen Dyer, was behind them at a stop sign. They told officers they honked their horn because Dyer did not use a turn signal. They then continued driving towards their residence and turned into the parking lot.
As they attempted to park, Dyer pulled up directly in front of the victim’s vehicle and they began to argue. That's when they said Dyer pulled out a firearm and pointed it at them.
CCPD said the incident was captured on the victim’s car surveillance footage, along with the license plate on the suspect’s vehicle.
Officers located the suspect's vehicle nearby and took Dyer into custody without further incident.
A handgun was later found in Dyer's vehicle. He is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
"Obviously sometimes people argue, speed around each other, but guns are usually not ever involved," said Officer Mercedes Phillips with CCPD.
According to Everytown for Gun Safety, 141 people were shot and killed from road rage incidents in 2022.
Pamella Seay, Law Professor at Florida Gulf Coast University, said there are no specific statutes in Florida that define road rage as a crime, but that pulling a gun on someone is a felony crime.
"Deadly force is not permitted in this kind of situation, unless you are defending yourself, your home or your property," said Seay. "You don’t have the right to pull a gun and attempt a type of deadly force.”
Seay said now that Dyer is a convicted felon, he is no longer legally able to purchase or own a gun of any kind.
“Regardless to your feelings on the second amendment, this behavior and the use of a gun is still inappropriate,” said Seay.
