LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. — The Lee County Sheriff’s Office arrested a Lehigh Acres woman and charged her with three counts of aggravated assault following a road rage incident.
According to a police report, 23-year-old Esmeralda Cruz was driving on 19th Street SW and Ruth Avenue North on Sunday. The report said a man was walking his dog in front of his home.
Deputies said Cruz stopped and started revving her engine at the neighbor. Then, video from the back of Cruz’s car shows her speed towards the man and his dog, narrowly missing them.
The sheriff’s office said Cruz and the neighbor started yelling at each other. Then, deputies said Cruz pulled out a gun and pointed it at the man while cursing at him.
The man’s wife and daughter came outside and started to yell at Cruz, LCSO said.
One of the victims said they did not speak English and couldn’t understand what Cruz was saying. However, another did and said Cruz told them she would “light them up.”
“They’ve had some friction between both neighbors on the vehicle, the driving habits and stuff,” said Sheriff Carmine Marceno.
The day before this incident, deputies were called out to the area because deputies said Cruz was driving fast in the area, and the man feared that his children would get hit.
After an interview with the victims and Cruz, the sheriff’s office charged her with three counts of aggravated assault.
She has since been released on bond.
