Road rage leads to shooting; suspect arrested

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A case of road rage turned into a shooting incident Wednesday morning in Palmetto.

"They could have been injured of killed," said Palmetto Police Chief Scott Tyler.

The Palmetto Police Department responded to a road rage incident after receiving a call from a man and his wife, who were from Riverview.

The couple had been traveling south along U.S. 41in Palmetto around 7:15 a.m. Officers said the two drivers yelled at each other from their vehicles, after one allegedly cut the other off.

Police said both continued south toward the DeSoto Bridge.

One of the drivers, 29-year-old Arlan Osborne, Jr. of St. Pete, was by himself in his car and, police said, used a handgun to shoot at the other vehicle.

The other driver and his wife were not injured, but their vehicle was hit by at least three bullets.

"It seemed to hit on the driver's side near the rear quarter panel. There is a big rubber piece on that car.
The bullets skimmed that and then also struck a rear tire of the car," said Chief Tyler.

After the couple crossed the DeSoto Bridge into Bradenton, police said they pulled into WaWa on 1st Street and called law enforcement.

Deputies with the Manatee County Sheriff's Office later spotted Osborne's vehicle at a convenience store in Tallavast and arrested him.

"I think the whole thing is we need to be patient, courteous and don't be confronting other drivers because you don't know what people are capable of doing," said Chief Tyler.

Osborne was charged with aggravated assault and discharging a firearm into a moving vehicle. Deputies said they found a handgun in his vehicle.