Florida man shoots himself out of window in street rage video
Newly discovered dashcam footage from Florida road rage The incident showed a man firing a shotgun multiple times, shattering his own side windows and windshield as he drove. The driver, Eric Popper, 30, is awaiting trial on two felony counts, including assault with a gun. If convicted, it could carry a sentence of up to 15 years in prison.
The incident happened en route south of I-95 in Miami in June, but Popper’s dashcam footage was recently obtained by the sports radio host. Andy Slater and released on January 28.
SLATER SCOOP: Exclusive video of Miami street frenzy from in-car camera.
The shooter seen here has been arrested and is awaiting trial. He told police that the other driver had fired first.
(Warning: Language and gunfire) pic.twitter.com/10vDVEwBbw
– Andy Slater (@AndySlater)
January 28, 2022
In it, Popper is shown casually singing along to the music as he drives his car Toyota Venza Mixture. Something caught his attention in the left lane, causing him to change into his left lane, where he is said to have cut across a dark car camry. The Camry driver honked his horn, and Popper replied, “Oh, damn it.” Popper also appeared to check the Camry’s brakes while looking in his rearview mirror, braced for the wheels as the vehicle’s contents slid forward.
Then he observed in his mirror, According to the police report, the Camry driver made a gesture (we guess they weren’t friendly waving “hello”) towards Popper. A few seconds later, Popper opened the center console of VenzaUnlock his gun case and pull out a shotgun.
As the Camry passed, Popper raised his weapon and lived up to his surname, firing 11 times through the passenger-side window and his own windshield. He even seemed surprised to himself, hunched over in his chair as he fired. Or, perhaps, he was spooked by broken glass along with the (extremely loud) sound of gunfire in a tight space.
Popper assumed that the Camry driver took up the weapon and shot him first. In the video, you can hear the banging of his Venza as the Camry passes. In interviews with Miami’s NBC6 and Los Angeles’ ABC7Popper’s attorney believes that the audio shows that Popper was initially shot and the video that his client was acting in self-defense.
Both drivers pulled over after the incident and called 911 to report a Toyota-on-Toyota changeover. Other clips Dashcam video shows Popper calling 911 from his stopped car and saying he was shot and returned fire. The Camry driver told police he just threw a water bottle at Popper’s car and that he wasn’t carrying a gun. Fortunately, both drivers and other road users that day were unharmed.
Popper, an inspector with the Miami Beach Fire Department, resigned on July 21 and turned himself in to the authorities. He has since been released and has a hearing in April.