A Charlotte County man is hoping to see increased patrols on Burnt Store Road after Tuesday night's road rage shooting.
He says he sees aggressive driving and road rage incidents, maybe not as serious as Tuesday night's, all the time, and is hoping we can prevent the next one from being even worse.
The speed limit along the stretch of Burnt Store Road that's under construction is 35 miles per hour, but Captain Ron Clark said he regularly sees drivers going much faster than that, and tailgating people like him just trying to drive by the rules.
Through the windows of his office at Allison James Real Estate, Clark has a perfect view of the traffic going by on Burnt Store Road.
"I see almost every car that comes by here exceeding the speed limit by over ten miles an hour, all day long. Sometimes up to 70 miles an hour," Clark said.
"I'd say on average, they come through at 55."
That's just the beginning of the aggressive behaviors he's experienced.
"Flashing lights, honking the horn, flipping me off, passing me on the double yellow line," he said.
While Fox 4 was driving along Burnt Store Road, one car passed us, and then a few minutes later, two more passed. We were going the speed limit.
Clark said he's not surprised by the recent road rage shooting on Burnt Store Road.
Charlotte County Sheriff's deputies say two drivers pulled over and exchanged words inside their cars before they both pulled guns and started shooting.
Both cars were damaged by bullets, but no one was hurt.
Clark said he's concerned a situation like this could happen to him.
"I'm thankful no one's pulled out a weapon like what happened here yesterday, but it's going to happen more often if this keeps up," he said.
Four in Your Corner's Lisa Greenberg took his concerns to the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office.
A spokesperson said they don't release road patrol procedures but said deputies are assigned to routinely patrol for any type of crime.
Regardless, Clark wants you to play it safe.
"People in Florida have to keep in mind there's a lot of people carrying weapons these days, and it pays to be courteous," he said.
The two drivers in Tuesday night's road rage shooting have not been charged because there were not witnesses and conflicting statements. The State Attorney's Office is now looking into it.
CCSO wants you to know, if you ever see speeding or careless driving, report it by calling (941) 639-2101. A spokesperson said they do respond to those complaints.
