The 44-year-old man accused of a violent roadside attack on a driver who stopped to help him has pleaded not guilty to a string of criminal charges. Daniel Coman entered the plea following his March 30 arrest on the 429 Expressway near Walt Disney World, where he allegedly turned on a motorist who mistook his car crash for a medical emergency.
The incident, which was captured on vehicle cameras, began when Hans Hamilton pulled over his Tesla to assist Coman after seeing his Lexus hit a median guardrail. According to the arrest affidavit, Coman was lying in the grass before suddenly jumping up and charging Hamilton’s car.
Video footage shows the suspect jumping onto the Tesla’s hood and kicking in the windshield before the confrontation moved to the ground.
Hamilton reported being struck multiple times in the head, face, and back. “On what started as a normal day, I saw someone who appeared to be in a car accident and stopped to help, wanting to do the right thing,” Hamilton said. “Instead, I was attacked, my car was destroyed, and my life was put in danger.”
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When an Orange County Sheriff’s deputy arrived at the scene around 10 a.m., the aggression allegedly continued.
The deputy reported that Coman approached him in an “angry and aggressive manner,” puffing out his chest and attempting to strike the officer. It took the deputy, Hamilton, and a second bystander to eventually wrestle Coman into handcuffs.
The fallout from the encounter has been devastating for Hamilton. He was hospitalized with four broken ribs, a brain bleed, a concussion, and multiple contusions.
His car was also severely damaged, with the roof and hood dented and the windshield destroyed. “I am facing auto and hospital deductibles, as well as tens of thousands of dollars in medical expenses,” Hamilton wrote in a post seeking financial help for his recovery.
Coman faces a variety of charges, including battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting an officer with violence, assault on a law enforcement officer, battery, and criminal mischief.
While his not guilty plea has been entered into court records, he remains in custody as the case proceeds through the Florida legal system.
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