A driver who was seen swinging a machete at a motorist and slashing his face during a wild road rage incident has been arrested.
Luis Ruiz-Herrera, 61, has been charged with aggravated battery using a deadly weapon after the incident on Friday afternoon in the area of Northwest 42nd Avenue, in Miami Springs, Florida. Footage emerged of a man spinning the huge blade towards another road user who had stopped his motor scooter in a lane over.
The driver sliced the victim’s left cheek with the machete, the Miami Spring Police Department said Tuesday, although the victim was not seriously hurt. Miami Springs Police Chief Armando Guzman said: “He did what I call his best ‘Matrix’ impersonation because he dodged back, and he was just caught with the tip.”
Luis Ruiz Herrera, confessed to the crime, police said. He now faces a charge of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. In court, Herrera was granted a $10,000 (£8,200) bond and ordered to stay away from the victim.
The judge said during a court hearing: “You are to stay away from that person, I am ordering you to have no contact.” Guzman added that confrontations over road rage just aren’t worth it, saying: “When you actually see it first-hand, it’s quite shocking. Somebody cuts me off, personally, I just let it go.”
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Ruiz Herrera was arrested at his residence, and he reportedly expressed remorse when he confessed to the crime.
Ruiz Herrera was arrested at his residence, and he reportedly expressed remorse when he confessed to the crime ( Image: Miame-Dade Corrections)
Police said in a statement: “The crime stemmed from a road rage incident and was caught on video by a third-party motorist who was also in traffic, directly behind the scooter.” But Miami police didn’t not say what sparked the road rage incident exactly.
Ruiz Herrera was arrested at his residence, and he reportedly expressed remorse when he confessed to the crime. He said he swung the machete because the victim had verbally assaulted his mother, 7News Miami reported.
Earlier this year a 16-year-old girl was allegedly attacked by a man in a terrifying road rage incident. Thomas Keebler, 40, from Alabama, US, was arrested last week after being captured on CCTV allegedly assaulting a teenager and her boyfriend at the Boggy Bayou Store petrol station in Florida.
Luis Ruiz-Herrera, 61, has been charged with aggravated battery using a deadly weapon after footage emerged of a man spinning the huge blade towards another road user Luis Ruiz-Herrera, 61, has been charged with aggravated battery using a deadly weapon after footage emerged of a man spinning the huge blade towards another road user ( Image: Miami Springs Police Department)
He pursued the teenagers after tailgating their car and followed them to the station where he parked his car in front of them to prevent them from leaving.
The suspect was then seen shouting expletives before getting out his truck and lunging towards the teens in CCTV footage from the petrol station forecourt.