Police in Polk County arrested a man at his Auburndale home on Sunday after he allegedly broke the law while driving in traffic. According to one witness, the man drew a handgun and pointed it at him. That witness just so happened to be a Florida Highway Patrol trooper.
According to the trooper, the driver of a red pickup truck became agitated while both were sitting in traffic. At some point during the drive, the pickup driver, later identified as 32-year-old Matthew Reiter, decided to take it out on one particular driver, the trooper in question. At first, Reiter reportedly yelled at the trooper and used various hand gestures, speeding up and slowing down in the process.
Then, once traffic was a little less congested, Reiter evidently drove up beside the trooper and his family and then brandished a “compact style firearm.” He pointed it at the trooper who contacted local law enforcement in the area. Despite that, none could find Reiter at the time.
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That’s why they later located him at his home. Police also happened to find five different firearms at the scene. According to local news outlet Dailyridge, they arrested Reiter and charged him with three counts each of unlawful display of a weapon and aggravated assault with a weapon. There’s no word on when his court date is or whether or not he bonded out of jail at this point.
Whipping out a firearm is something that should be reserved for very special circumstances. It’s certainly not something to ever do in traffic and this Florida man just learned that the hard way. Kudos to the trooper for not escalating the situation further.
