Dundee man lies about intentionally firing at another driver, arrested in road rage shooting: Polk deputies

DUNDEE, Fla. - A Dundee man who deputies said lied about intentionally firing at another driver during a road rage shooting was arrested.

The Polk County Sheriff's Office said Joseph Martinez, 35, was arrested on Saturday and is now facing an attempted second-degree murder charge.

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Deputies said they responded to reports of a shooting just before 4:15 p.m. on Saturday in the area of Lake Hatchineha Road and HL Smith Road, which is east of Haines City. Martinez was the person who contacted deputies, saying he accidentally shot his gun in his vehicle, causing his front passenger side window to shatter.

Martinez told investigators that he had his gun in his hand while also steering with the same hand. That's when he claimed a black Toyota Celica swerved in front of him, causing the suspect to quickly hit the brakes and fire his gun, according to the sheriff's office.

Pictured: Joseph Martinez. Courtesy: Polk County Jail.

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While authorities said they were investigating, another call came in from the other driver, so deputies responded to Poinciana to speak with him.

READ: Former police officer arrested for DUI after nearly striking Polk County deputy’s vehicle: PCSO

The other driver said he was passing Martinez's Hyundai sedan, because it was going slow. He told deputies it must have angered Martinez, because he started tailgating the Toyota and acting aggressively.

The victim said he brake-checked Martinez to get him to back off, but deputies said that only made things worse. That's when a gunshot was heard, and the other driver's window was shattered.

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Detectives said they determined during their investigation that Martinez intentionally fired his gun at the victim. PCSO said the victim wasn't injured in the shooting.

Martinez is now behind bars at the Polk County Jail, officials said.

The Source: The information in this story was released by the Polk County Sheriff's Office.

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