VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — A Deltona man was arrested after deputies say he fired several gunshots into another person’s car during a road rage incident Wednesday afternoon.
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Volusia County deputies responded to the area of Howland Blvd. near Goldenhills Street in Deltona just after 2 p.m. after the victim reported the shooting.
The victim claimed the suspect pulled up behind him at a red light then yelled and called him names before cutting him off in traffic, pulling out a gun, and firing at him.
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No injuries were reported, but deputies were able to find two bullet holes in the victim’s SUV and shell casings in the intersection where the shooting was reported to have happened.
The incident also forced several schools in the area to be briefly placed on precautionary holds or lockdowns during the investigation.
The suspect who shot at a vehicle today in @CityofDeltonaFL is in custody. The 2pm incident at Howland & Goldenhills prompted precautionary lockdowns at area schools after the suspect fired at another vehicle and fled. Deputies located the suspect, now facing felony charges.
— Volusia Sheriff (@VolusiaSheriff) October 4, 2023
The victim was able to provide a description of the shooting suspect and his vehicle, a blue Chrysler sedan.
Deputies searched the area and found the suspect’s car parked at a home on Wanderer Drive. They surrounded the home and began making announcements for the suspect to come outside.
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Eventually, deputies say 46-year-old Ernest Woods surrendered and was taken into custody.
When interviewed about the incident, deputies say Woods and his wife provided a different account of what happened than what the victim described.
According to the sheriff’s office, Woods’ wife admitted they were involved in a road rage incident, but tried to claim the victim’s SUV was following them very closely on State Road 415, so Woods slowed down “to irritate the driver,” who then passed them while shouting racial slurs.
The couple claimed Woods pulled his gun and fired because the other driver had thrown rocks at their car.
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Deputies examined the Woods’ vehicle for signs of damage from a thrown rock but weren’t able to find any.
Woods was arrested and charged with shooting at an occupied vehicle, aggravated assault with a firearm and resisting an officer without violence. He was additionally charged with criminal mischief for damage done to a Volusia Sheriff’s Office patrol vehicle as he was resisting arrest, deputies say.
Woods is being held in the Volusia County jail with no bond set, pending a first appearance.
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