Brandon road rage suspect denied bond
TAMPA, Fla. - The woman accused of firing shots at another driver in a road rage incident in Brandon will remain behind bars until her trial.
A judge issued a ruling on Wednesday denying bond for Aiden Richards, 21, one day after she appeared in court for a pretrial detention hearing.
Case against Aiden Richards
The backstory:
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office says Richards opened fire on another vehicle last Thursday afternoon at the intersection of South Hilltop Rd. and West Brandon Blvd.
Deputies say the other driver fired back, hitting Richards. She went to the hospital for treatment of lower body injuries before being booked into jail.
Courtesy: Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office
Dig deeper:
During Tuesday's bond hearing, HCSO Det. John Fulton said that a car pulled up near Richards' car on the road moments before the confrontation escalated.
"Female passenger said that it was seen that Ms. Richards stuck her hand out the window like, 'Bring it on,' or something to that effect. It was like an egging on situation," Fulton said.
Dashcam video from another nearby car captured part of the incident, as well.
Road rage shooting in Brandon
A road rage shooting in Brandon was caught on camera and landed one woman in jail.
"You see a female passenger hanging halfway out of the vehicle," Fulton said. "You see her throwing water on Ms. Aiden Richards' vehicle."
Gunshots can also be heard in the video.
"You can hear one shot, another shot," Fulton said. "And then shortly after that, you hear multiple shots."
Road rage suspect’s bond hearing
After hearing from accused road rage shooter Aiden Richards’ attorney and state prosecutors a judge said he would decide within 24 hours whether or not to grant Richards bond. FOX 13's Kylie Jones reports.
The other side:
Richards' attorney argued that the passenger of the other car was being aggressive.
"If Ms. Richards' true intent was to kill her, she had ample opportunity to do so," Richards' attorney, Alan Sandler, said. "She could've shot her in the head. She could've shot her in the face. She didn't do that."
Sandler also mentioned that Richards had no prior criminal record. The judge ultimately ruled in favor of prosecutors, ordering Richards held in jail.
What's next:
Richards faces the following charges:
- Attempted second-degree murder (two counts)
- Aggravated assault with a deadly weapon (two counts)
- Shooting at, within or into a vehicle (two counts)
The Source: This story was written with information from Hillsborough County court records and previous FOX 13 News reports.
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