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PALMETTO, Fla. — A Florida man is accused of shooting a woman who is pregnant with twins “multiple times” after an alleged road rage incident, authorities said.
According to Manatee County Sheriff’s Office online booking records, Vincent A. Steele, 50, of Riverview, was arrested on Sunday and charged with five counts of premeditated attempted murder.
Detectives said that a pickup truck was traveling north on Business U.S. 41 at about 5:30 p.m. EDT when Steele, who was driving a BMW, attempted to pass the other vehicle in the merge lane, the Bradenton Herald reported.
The rear bumper of the BMW made contact with the truck’s front bumper, causing Steele to lose control and spin off into the grassy shoulder of the highway, according to the newspaper.
The driver of the truck pulled over to check on the BMW, but Steele allegedly exited his vehicle, ran to the passenger door of the pickup and fired seven rounds, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
The gunshots struck a 36-year-old woman “multiple times” in the lower torso, according to the newspaper.
Neither of the unborn children were hit, according to detectives.
“We had somebody who was just being impatient, so it would appear to try and get around this truck,” Manatee County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Randy Warren told WTVT. “Ended up causing an accident and then taking it to a whole other level.”
After realizing his fiancee was injured, the 57-year-old driver of the pickup truck drove her to Manatee Memorial Hospital, the Herald reported. She was later taken to Tampa General Hospital for surgery, where she and both of the babies are in stable condition.
The driver of the truck was not injured, and neither was a 9-year-old girl who was also in the pickup, according to the newspaper.
Steele remained at the scene and spoke with deputies before they arrested him, the Times reported. He remains in custody at the Manatee County Jail, online records show.
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