TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Winter Haven police arrested an Orlando man after he allegedly shot into an occupied vehicle during a road rage incident outside a LongHorn Steakhouse, injuring two people.
The incident occurred in the parking lot of the LongHorn on 875 1st Street South at about 6:15 p.m. Thursday evening.
One of the victims told police she got into an argument with the man after they got into a crash while trying to pull into the same parking spot.
The victim said she saw him pull a gun out of a bag, so she drove away and called 911, then drove past his vehicle to get the tag number for the dispatcher.
When she tried leaving the parking lot, the man began firing his gun, the victim said.
Police said bullets hit her window and the victim suffered a laceration on the right side of her face. Her passenger had a laceration on his left hand.
“The female victim stated that she believed that she was shot in the face due to the fact that blood immediately began pouring out of her face after the shots were fired,” the affidavit said.
Police said the other passenger saw the man with two guns, and the victim thought he might have two firearms due to the rapid gunfire.
Police said the alleged shooter’s vehicle was spotted on U.S. 92 in Lake Alfred a couple hours later and he was detained.
The man, identified as William Blake, 24, admitted to being at LongHorn during that time, but denied shooting at the victims. He said one of the guns belonged to his girlfriend and he didn’t know the model.
Police said they obtained a search warrant and found a black firearm, a silver firearm and spent shell casings in Blake’s vehicle.
He was arrested and charged with two counts of attempted second-degree murder and shooting into an occupied vehicle.
Further information was not immediately available.
