- A Florida man said “nice car” to a stranger, only to be punched in the face in return.
- The suspect, who drove a Dodge Challenger, may have misunderstood the compliment.
- The angry driver turned himself in after the police issued a warrant for his arrest.
Petrolheads love to dish out compliments on each other’s rides, but not every admirer gets a warm reception. Take this Dodge Challenger owner in Florida, for example, who allegedly threw a punch at someone who dared to compliment his muscle car.
According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO), the altercation went down on Tindel Camp Road around 5:45 pm on Sunday, September 1st. The victim was driving toward Scenic Highway in the Dundee/Lake Wales area when the Challenger driver decided to put the brakes on his day – literally. The suspect stopped his car, got out, and approached in a manner that could be described as “anything but friendly,” making it clear that his love for his car didn’t translate into love for random admirers.
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The man, identified by police as 53-year-old John Sturgeon, allegedly took things up a notch by grabbing the victim’s hands and landing a punch right on his face. Dashcam footage captures the moment Sturgeon marches back to his black Dodge Challenger after his not-so-friendly exchange. In the background, the bewildered victim can be heard saying, “I’m trying to tell you you have a nice car, bro. I like your car.”
The police investigated the case, trying to figure out what could have possibly provoked Sturgeon to use violence against someone he hadn’t met before. The victim admitted of having waved at him and commenting that he had a nice ride. While the gesture was supposedly meant as a compliment, it somehow managed to ignite some serious rage in the Dodge owner. It seems not everyone takes “nice car” as a compliment – who knew?
According to the police report, Sturgeon turned himself in on September 4. Before that, officers had tracked down his home in Terranova, Winter Haven, but came up empty-handed, leading them to issue a warrant for his arrest on battery charges.
As for why Sturgeon reacted like he did? Your guess is as good as ours, but it smells like a classic case of a big misunderstanding gone wrong. Either way, a little kindness never hurts – especially when someone’s just trying to drop a compliment.
