Florida road rage shooting between truck drivers stemmed from thrown water bottle: sheriff's office

Dylan Belleastin, 43, is accused of shooting at another truck driver on I-75 in Ocala after initially throwing a water bottle at his vehicle while they were driving

Florida road rage shooting between truck drivers stemmed from thrown water bottle: sheriff's office

Dylan Belleastin, 42, is accused of shooting at another truck driver on I-75 in Ocala, Florida, after initially throwing a water bottle at his vehicle while they were driving. (Marion County Sheriff's Office)

A truck driver from Virginia is behind bars in Florida after police say he fired a gun multiple times at another trucker while the two were driving on the interstate.

The Marion County Sheriff's Office said Dylan Belleastin, 43, was arrested Wednesday and charged with shooting a missile into a vehicle, aggravated assault, criminal mischief and displaying a firearm during the commission of a felony.

The road rage shooting took place on Sunday in the southbound lanes of Interstate 75, the sheriff's office said.

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Dylan Belleastin mugshot

Virginia semi-truck driver Dylan Belleastin, 43, is behind bars in Florida after a road rage shooting that allegedly stemmed from him throwing a water bottle at another trucker. (Marion County Sheriff's Office)

A Marion County deputy responded to a Love's Travel Stop in Ocala after receiving a report of shots fired on I-75. The victim, who was only identified as another semi-truck driver, told authorities that the incident began when Belleastin pulled up beside him and threw a water bottle at his truck while they were driving.

The victim said he initially pulled over to confront Belleastin, but changed his mind and drove off.

Belleastin then allegedly followed the other driver and pulled up beside his truck again, which is when he fired a gun into the victim's truck a few times.

Truck driver shooting gun while driving

Dashcam footage from Belleastin's semi-truck cab allegedly shows him shooting a gun out the window at another trucker while driving. (Marion County Sheriff's Office)

The victim said he hit the brakes in order to avoid being struck and fired his own gun in response "out of fear for his own life," according to the sheriff's office.

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Belleastin allegedly drove to the Love's Travel Stop the victim stopped at before ultimately continuing his journey down I-75.

Interstate 75 sign in Florida

The road rage shooting took place on Sunday, March 3, in the southbound lanes of Interstate 75 in Ocala, Florida, the sheriff's office said. (myLoupe/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

While investigating the incident, a Marion County deputy obtained information that allowed him to identify the suspect as Belleastin. The deputy was also able to access the dash camera footage showing the inside of Belleastin's cab.

In the video, Belleastin can be seen shooting a gun out the window of his cab two separate times while driving. The sheriff's office said Belleastin also pointed a second handgun at the victim, but did not fire it.

He was arrested by Marion County deputies and U.S. Marshals on Wednesday in Ocala.

Belleastin remains in the Marion County Jail without bond.

Authored by Elizabeth Pritchett via FoxNews March 7th 2024