Trucker road rage leads to gunfire at Immokalee mine

IMMOKALEE, Fla. — A quarrel between truckers over a driving maneuver on the way to an Immokalee mine Friday led one of them to fire gunshots at the other, the Collier County Sheriff’s Office said.

Miami resident Carlos Dearmas, 32, is facing felony charges after the alleged gunfire at the site of a mine on 2301 Edwards Grove Road in Immokalee. He and the victim engaged in an argument over who had the right of way as they exited Interstate 75 onto Corkscrew Road in Estero, approximately 17 miles away from the mine, according to the sheriff’s office.

Dearmas exited his truck once he and the victim arrived at the mine and fired a shot through the passenger window of the victim’s truck, the sheriff’s office said in a police report. The victim told a deputy that he initially thought Dearmas had thrown a rock at him before realizing the damage done.

The bullet exited the truck through the driver’s side window but missed the victim, who was instead cut by shattered glass, according to the sheriff’s office. Emergency medical personnel bandaged his hand at the scene.

Dearmas told the deputy that he hadn’t shot a gun, but when the deputy said he would check his hands for gunshot residue, Dearmas began rubbing his hands together as if he were trying to rub something off of them, the report said.