A man in Florida is facing up to 15 years in jail after shooting out his own car windows in road rage incident last June.
The event took place on June 15th 2021, and was captured in the dashcam footage of 30-year-old Eric Popper.
SLATER SCOOP: Exclusive video of road-rage shooting in Miami from in-car camera.
— Andy Slater (@AndySlater) January 28, 2022
The shooter seen here was arrested and is awaiting trial. He told cops the other driver fired first.
(Warning: Language and gunfire) pic.twitter.com/10vDVEwBbw
The footage shows Popper driving his Toyota Venza Hybrid in Miami, Florida. After a few seconds, Popper notices something in his mirror and turns into the left-lane, apparently cutting off a Toyota Camry in the process. The driver of the Camry then beeps at the 30-year-old, to which he replies “Oh, f**k off.”
This is where things escalate. Popper suddenly hits the brakes, and continues to look in his mirror at the Camry driver, who apparently made some unwelcome hand gestures.
It's at this moment that Popper opens up his centre console, opens a firearm lockbox, and retrieves a handgun. The Camry driver pulls out from behind Popper and starts to overtake him. This is when Popper fires his gun multiple times at the Camry, shattering the side window and windshield of his own Venza Hybrid.
Popper claims he thought he was being shot at, and his lawyer argues that the event was self-defence. After the incident, Popper pulled over and called local police, claiming that he had been shot at and had returned fire. The Camry driver hadn't shot at Popper, but did throw a water bottle at his vehicle.
Popper is currently awaiting trial on two felony charges, including aggressive assault with a firearm. He was an inspector with the Miami Beach Fire Department at the time of the incident but resigned shortly after.