FHP: Road-rage suspects arrested in separate cases

Troopers arrested two men Sunday in separate road-rage incidents involving reports of a gun.

In one, an 8-year-old boy noticed a man pointing a pistol at his family’s car and told his mom, “He has a gun and he’s going to kill us,” a Florida Highway Patrol report states.

No one was hurt. The first indicent happened before 6 p.m. on southbound lanes of Florida’s Turnpike near the Turkey Lake Service Plaza between two drivers who both said the other was following too closely. At one point, the drivers — later identified as Edric Caban and John Dlugos — got next to each other and exchanged hand gestures. Caban said he then saw Dlugos pull out a pistol, a report says.

Dlugos, 46, was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, FHP said.

A few hours later, troopers got a report of a vehicle driving recklessly on northbound State Road 417 just before East Colonial Drive. Zahida Munir Ahmad said a man in a white Kia threw something at her car and attempted several times to run her off the road, a report said. Her 8-year-old and husband also noticed the man had a pistol.

She said the incident started when a unknown vehicle cut her off, causing her and the Kia, which was behind her, to brake hard, the report states. The Kia, driven by Bertrum Hayes, passed her on the right shoulder and cut her off, the report said.

Troopers eventually caught up with Hayes, 22, who claimed Ahmad cut him off.

He told troopers he has a road-rage problem and acknowledged yelling at the woman, flashing his lights at her and throwing trash. He denied having a gun, but when troopers searched his car, they said they found a loaded 9 mm pistol in the center console.

He is accused of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and displaying a firearm during a felony.

sallen@tribpub.com