PALMETTO, Fla. — A man was arrested after deputies say he shot into a pregnant woman's car during a road rage incident, striking her several times.
The Manatee County Sheriff's Office said a pickup truck was traveling north on Business U.S. 41 North in Palmetto around 5:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Deputies said the suspect, Vincent Steele, 50, was driving a BMW sedan and attempted to pass the truck in the merge lane. Steele's rear bumper then made contact with the victim's front bumper, which caused Steele to lose control and spin off into the grassy shoulder of US 41.
While investigating, deputies said they learned the victim stopped to check on the driver before Steele left his vehicle, ran up to the victim's passenger door and fired seven rounds at the victim's truck.
The woman, 36 and pregnant with twins, was hit multiple times in the lower torso. When the woman's fiance, the driver of the pickup truck, realized she had been injured, he drove her to Manatee Memorial Hospital.
Neither of the babies were hit. She was later taken to Tampa General Hospital for surgery, where she and both of the babies are listed in stable condition.
Her fiance, 57, and a nine-year-old girl also in the truck were uninjured.
Steele remained at the scene and spoke to deputies. He was then arrested and charged with five counts of attempted murder.
“You know, it might just be time we take a look if HOAs are really even necessary.
Maybe we should just do away with homeowner associations as a whole.”
South Florida lawmaker Rep. Juan Carlos Porras (R-Miami) says it may be time to do away with homeowners associations altogether, as more Floridians speak out about rising fees, costly lawsuits, and even arrests tied to HOA disputes. He said this week that he is considering filing legislation in the next session that would abolish HOAs statewide.
