MIAMI GARDENS, FLA. (WSVN) - A truck driver from Georgia faced a Miami-Dade County judge after he allegedly fired a gun during an apparent road rage shooting along Interstate 95 in Miami Gardens.
7News cameras captured Randall Vaughters shortly after he bonded out of jail, Monday night.
He apologized for his actions on Sunday afternoon.
“I’m just sorry it escalated to the point it did, and I should’ve known better,” he said. “Road rage is never something that you should take lightly.”
Ardwens Estivene said he and his girlfriend were headed north on the interstate when they noticed an 18-wheeler making dangerous moves near the Florida Turnpike on-ramp in the area of Northwest 199th Street.
“To be honest, it was very scary,” Estivene said. “I’ve never experienced it before. I see him again start speeding up, and this time, he tries to hit my car, and that’s when I told my girlfriend, ‘Start recording, babe, start recording.'”
Cellphone video shows the truck coming up from behind and then driving alongside the Nissan Altima. Just as the camera catches the company name on the side of the truck, a single gunshot could be heard.
However, according to the police report, multiple shots were fired.
Vaughters was arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated assault and one count of discharging a firearm in public.
Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Mindy S. Glazer told Vaughters, “These are serious charges, sir.”
Vaughters’ bond was set at $8,500, which he has since posted, and he is no longer allowed to carry a gun in Florida.
“Trust me, there will be no firearms in my vehicle,” the 67-year-old said in court.
While Vaughters wasn’t charged with a hate crime, Estivene believes he and his girlfriend were targeted.
“This man felt like he had every right to try to take our lives,” he said. “All he’s seeing was Black. That’s all he’s seeing. I don’t know what was going through his mind. I don’t know, but I just thank God we’re safe.”
After he bonded out of jail, Vaughters told his side of the story.
“If you get in a road rage incident, just back off, pull to the side, which I tried to do, but this dude would not let in,” he said. “He kept on and on and on, but me being in a semi, I’m at fault.”
7News has reached out to the trucking company Vaughters worked for. The company said they are looking into the matter, are cooperating with investigators, and they will have no further comment into the incident.
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