Road rage: Couple sought for hitting car windows after minor crash

TAMPA, Fla. — State troopers in west-central Florida are searching for a couple that attacked a woman stopped in traffic following a minor crash on a Tampa highway.

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According to a video supplied by the Florida Highway Patrol, a man and woman were seen hitting a car window with their fists and objects at about 5 p.m. on Tuesday. The incident took place while the driver, a 31-year-old woman from Brandon was stopped in traffic at an intersection in the East Lake neighborhood of Tampa.

Troopers said the couple attacked the woman’s car after they initially shot at her, WFLA-TV reported.

Florida Highway Patrol spokesperson Sgt. Steve Gaskins said the incident began near the intersection of Orient Road and Hillsborough Avenue, nearly 2 miles away, after a minor crash.

“The two parties involved had an exchange that didn’t go well,” Gaskins said, according to WFTS-TV.

The woman drove away, but the couple caught up to her at the intersection of U.S. 301 and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, an area just south of the Florida State Fairgrounds. As the woman was stopped in traffic, the man and woman ran up to her vehicle and began hitting it.

In a video by another motorist that the FHP shared on its Twitter account, the pair can be seen yelling at the woman and kicking the vehicle. The woman jumped onto the hood of the vehicle and began kicking the windshield.

The woman recording the video can be heard yelling at the couple, telling them to call off the attack.

“Hey, call the cops! You’re gonna go to jail! Don’t go to jail,” the person said, according to the video. “If she kept going, don’t go with her. If she hit you and kept going, that’s a charge.”

“The victim in this case was not injured,” Gaskins told reporters. “The car was not struck by any rounds, but of course she is terrified. She’s nervous.”

Drivers in the area were able to calm the couple down somewhat, and they drove away, along with the woman, WFTS reported.

Gaskins said the incident was “very scary, very terrifying” for the victim.

“If you find yourself in a situation, you know, take a step back,” Gaskins told reporters. “Defend yourself if need be but try to exit the situation. Call 911. Call for help and try to remain calm as best you can.”