POLK COUNTY, Fla. – A Lakeland man is behind bars today after a violent road rage confrontation in Winter Haven left another driver bloodied and broken-nosed on Wednesday afternoon. T
The incident, which unfolded around 4:48 p.m. at the busy intersection of Helena Road and Cypress Gardens Boulevard, reportedly took place in full view of the victim’s children.
Polk County Sheriff’s deputies arrived at the scene to find a man suffering from significant facial injuries. According to witness statements and the victim, the trouble began on Cypress Gardens Road when two trucks hauling rocks cut the man off in traffic.
After the victim managed to pass the trucks and pull into a turn lane for Helena Road, one of the truck drivers allegedly maneuvered his vehicle to block the victim in, preventing any escape.
The situation escalated rapidly from a verbal dispute to physical violence. Investigators say the truck driver opened the victim’s car door and began punching him. The assailant then briefly returned to his truck to retrieve a hammer, which he used to repeatedly strike the victim.
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The attack continued as the suspect allegedly dragged the victim by the hair and slammed him onto the pavement.
“The suspect furiously attacked another driver; it was violent and brutal, and left the victim bloodied, with a broken nose,” said Sheriff Grady Judd. “Making the situation worse was that it all happened in front of the victim’s children who were in the vehicle with him.”
The suspect fled the scene before law enforcement arrived, but detectives quickly tracked down the registered owner of the rock-hauling trucks. This led to the identification of 39-year-old Jose Antonio Rosa Negron of Lakeland.
Rosa Negron was apprehended Thursday morning and transported to the Sheriff’s Processing Center. He currently faces several felony charges, including first-degree burglary with battery, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, and four counts of false imprisonment.
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