The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man after deputies say he shot a pregnant woman in a road rage incident in Palmetto on Sunday.
Vincent Steele, 50, of Riverview, has been charged with five counts of attempted murder after the sheriff’s office said he shot multiple rounds into a vehicle following an accident, striking a 36-year-old woman who is pregnant with twins.
Detectives said a pickup truck was traveling north on Business U.S. 41 North in Palmetto around 5:30 p.m. Sunday when Steele, driving a BMW, attempted to pass the truck in the merge lane.
Steele’s rear bumper made contact with the truck’s front bumper, causing Steele to lose control and spin off into the grassy shoulder in the 6900 block of U.S. 41, according to a news release.
Deputies said they learned through the investigation and statements from witnesses that someone in the truck got out to check on Steele after the accident, but Steele got out of his car, ran to the truck’s passenger door and fired seven rounds at the truck.
The gunshots struck a 36-year-old pregnant woman multiple times in the lower torso, according to the news release.
Neither of the unborn children were hit, according to detectives.
After realizing his fiancee was injured, the 57-year-old driver of the pick-up truck drove her to Manatee Memorial Hospital. She was later taken to Tampa General Hospital for surgery, where she and both of the babies are in stable condition, according to the news release.
Detectives said the driver of the truck was not injured during the shooting and neither was a 9-year-old girl who was also in the car.
Steele remained on scene and spoke with deputies before they arrested him, according to the news release.
Further information about Sunday’s alleged road rage incident were not immediately available Monday morning.
