A Florida man is in custody charged with multiple felonies after detectives say he shot into an occupied vehicle on Interstate 75 in Collier County on Wednesday afternoon during a road rage encounter.
Thomas Vincent Yanoti III, 61, of Cape Coral, is charged with attempted second-degree murder, shooting into an occupied vehicle, and aggravated assault with a firearm.
He was taken into custody by Cape Coral Police Department officers at this residence on Thursday morning.
“Southwest Florida is safer this morning with this person off our streets,” said Sheriff Kevin Rambosk. “I commend our detectives for their diligence in identifying this individual and I thank our partners at Cape Coral Police Department for safely taking him into custody.”
Deputies were called to I-75 at Immokalee Road shortly after 3 p.m. to a report of shots being fired into a vehicle.
Investigators determined that Yanoti’s vehicle hit the victim’s vehicle from behind as both were merging onto I-75 north at Immokalee Road.
The victim pulled over on the side of the onramp to exchange driver information, and Yanoti pulled ahead of him and stopped as well.
Yanoti exited his car, began walking toward the victim’s car, pulled out a firearm, and began firing shots through the victim’s windshield.
The victim laid across the front seat of his vehicle to avoid the gunfire as Yanoti continued to shoot. When the gunshots stopped the victim sat back up but Yanoti fired again. Yanoti got back in his car and drove north on I-75.
The victim, whose identity is protected under Marsy’s Law, was not hit by bullets but was injured by shattered glass fragments hitting his body.
Once detectives identified Yanoti as the suspect, CCSO obtained an arrest warrant and worked with CCPD to take him into custody. Yanoti is being booked into the Lee County Jail.
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