Sarasota Road Rage Stabbing: Argument Over Texting Turns Violent

The city of Sarasota was rocked by a stabbing Thursday afternoon in broad daylight during a busy time of the day. Apparently, the road rage incident took place over a texting while driving argument. One person in the altercation suffered stab wounds to the face, and the other is in police custody.

Genevieve Judge, a Sarasota Police Department Public Information Officer detailed the road rage-related stabbing incident. She said the incident took place around 3:00 p.m. at the intersection of U.S. 41 and Bee Ridged Road when two motorists began arguing. During the heated exchange, one challenged the other to pull over and meet in a parking lot nearby. The other driver agreed and a physical altercation erupted when they both exited their vehicles moments later.

At some point, one of the road rage motorists produced a knife and proceeded to stab the other person in the face. Police arrived a short time later after someone who watched the violent event unfold dialed Sarasota 911 operators. The witness, Pam Curtin, talked to reporters about the encounter and said she overheard one of the road ragers admonish the other by saying, “You shouldn’t have been texting.” Curtin shared her frustration, not only with the road rage incident and stabbing, but from being put on hold when she called for help, according to My Fox Tampa Bay.

“It’s terrifying, it’s absolutely terrifying. And then what’s terrifying, too, is that if you call 911 at a point when the stabbing hadn’t even occurred, you’re put on hold in this city. That’s terrifying too.”

Sarasota Police Department investigators say the victim in the road rage stabbing sustained a head wound from a knife and cuts across their face. As a result, they were airlifted to a local Florida hospital for trauma treatment. The knife-wielding suspect sustained minor injuries but it’s unknown if they were hospitalized.

According to an Inquistir report, another road rage incident took place in California recently. Last month, Perla Avina and her husband were going to the Supermarket, as they typically do every other Sunday during football season, to get items to prepare their favorite game dish.

The Oakland Raiders fans were driving along when a motorists began shooting into the car. A bullet hit the mother of four in the head and she died moments later in her driveway as her high school sweetheart tried to save her. The victim’s husband believes someone was upset in the way he was driving and opened fire into the car.

Sarasota police have not commented on any arrests from today’s road rage stabbing. However, charges are likely, given the nature of the alleged crime.

[Image via: WFLA]