LAKELAND, Fla. – A minor fender bender in northwest Lakeland spiraled into a violent roadside confrontation Saturday night, leaving a Dade City man behind bars and a group of young crash victims fleeing for their lives.
The chaos began around 10:19 p.m. at the intersection of County Road 54 and O’Connor Road. According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, two pickup trucks were involved in a light collision. While most minor accidents end in an exchange of insurance information, witnesses say this one immediately turned volatile.
Jamie Dean Mathis, 46, exited one of the trucks and aggressively charged toward the occupants of the second vehicle and their friends, who were following in a separate car.
READ: DHS Rips Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Claim Of ICE ‘Disappearing’ Citizens As A ‘Ridiculous Lie’
According to deputies, Mathis didn’t just yell; he escalated to physical violence, punching an 18-year-old male in the face. As the group scrambled back into their vehicles to escape the aggression, Mathis allegedly grabbed a door handle, violently trying to pry it open to get inside.
When the locked doors held, witnesses say Mathis screamed that he was going to get a gun and shoot them all. Terrified, the group sped away and dialed 911.
Deputies arriving at the scene found Mathis and took him into custody. Investigators quickly discovered that the truck Mathis had been driving wasn’t his—it had been reported stolen out of neighboring Pasco County.
While no firearm was found on Mathis or at the scene, the suspect made a chilling admission to detectives during questioning. Despite denying he had a weapon at the time of the crash, authorities say Mathis told them that if he had been armed, he “would have shot every one of them.”
Mathis was transported to the Polk County Sheriff’s Processing Center and faces a litany of charges, including Attempted Burglary of a Conveyance, Battery, seven counts of Assault, and Leaving the Scene of a Crash.
The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the scene to recover the stolen vehicle. Mathis is expected to face additional charges in Pasco regarding the theft of the truck.
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox
