Arrest Made In Road Rage Shooting

NORTH PORT, FL — The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office has announced the arrest of a 24-year-old man in connection with a road rage incident that led to a Friday morning shooting in North Port.

According to the agency, Carlos Echeverria-Pena, 24, was charged with burglary of a conveyance and battery. Echeverria-Pena is the man who was shot during the altercation.

Deputies say the incident that led to the arrest began to unfold around 7:15 a.m. Jan. 6. Deputies say Echeverria-Pena got out of his vehicle at the intersection of U.S. 41 and Ridge Road following a road rage incident. He approached another motorist, identified as Michael Justin Garza, and “began punching the victim through his window,” an email from the agency said.

Garza reached for his licensed firearm and “fired two shots in self-defense,” the agency said.

Echeverria-Pena was taken to a local hospital following the shooting. He was later arrested on the two charges. Echeverria-Pena was released from the Sarasota County Jail Sunday in lieu of $15,000 bond.

Booking photo courtesy of the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office