Inset: Raul Alejandro Fontaine (Miami-Dade Corrections & Rehabilitation). Background: The area in Miami where Fontaine allegedly shot at another driver on Saturday (Google Maps).
In a dramatic road rage incident in Florida, a 24-year-old man stands accused of attempting to shoot another driver. Authorities allege that Raul Alejandro Fontaine pulled up beside the victim, demanded he exit his vehicle, and then fired a shot that narrowly missed the intended target.
Fontaine faces serious charges, including second-degree attempted murder, discharging a firearm from a moving vehicle, and illegal discharge of a firearm in a public area, as indicated by court documents.
The ordeal came to light when the victim reported the incident at the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Hammocks District station. Presenting deputies with the bullet he claimed was fired at him, the victim recounted his harrowing experience from earlier that day.
Accompanied by deputies, the victim returned to the scene on the 13300 block of SW 88th Street. There, officials observed damage to a wall, which appeared to be the result of the bullet’s impact.
The confrontation reportedly began as the victim was driving west along 88th Street. Fontaine, driving a black Jeep Gladiator, allegedly mounted the sidewalk to pull alongside the victim’s car. Witnesses say Fontaine shouted, “You don’t know who I am. Get out of the car. I’ll beat your a—.”
Fontaine allegedly yelled, “You don’t know who I am. Get out of the car. I’ll beat your a—.”
The victim said he was able to drive away from the initial interaction, but Fontaine followed him and stopped next to his driver-side window and allegedly yelled, “I’m going to f—ing shoot you.”
“The victim stated he was in fear for his life when the defendant recklessly and negligently discharged a firearm from his vehicle as he was traveling on SW 88th Street during heavy traffic, surrounded by multiple vehicles, in the direction of the victim, nearly striking him,” the affidavit states. “The act was imminently dangerous to the victim and demonstrated a depraved mind without regard for any human life.”
Because the victim was stopped at the time, he was able to get out of his car and retrieve the spent round, which had struck the wall and stopped in the street next to his car. He then followed the shooter, using his cellphone to record the vehicle and license plate.
Once he had the shooter’s license plate, the victim drove to the sheriff’s office and a BOLO was put out for the Jeep Gladiator.
Authorities soon located the Jeep parked outside a residence in the 13000 block of SW 202nd Avenue in Miami. Deputies established a perimeter around the address and took Fontaine into custody after he was spotted walking nearby.
In a post-Miranda interview with detectives, Fontaine admitted that he was involved in a road rage incident, claiming he fired a single shot at a nearby wall in an attempt to scare the other person, Miami ABC affiliate WPLG reported.
Fontaine is currently being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center without bond, records show. He is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday for a pretrial detention hearing.
