Law enforcement: Road rage is a big problem in the Bay Area

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (FOX 13) - The sight of William Shutt in handcuffs was a sweet one for Ryan Dunlop. It was the video taken by his home security system, at his home on 17th Ave. and Bay St. in St. Pete's Old Northeast neighborhood, that led police to the Hyundai Sante Fe Shutt was in when he allegedly shot and killed another driver during a fit of road rage.

"We were hoping they found closure with this and it didn't end unsolved," Dunlop said of the victim's family.

Police got Shutt Wednesday morning, a week after they say he fired into Quentin Hicks' BMW, killing him and seriously injuring his passenger.

"We felt personally impacted by it," said Dunlop, "and we have been really upset about it."

Police are trying to figure out what happened before the shooting.

Florida Highway Patrol troopers say road-rage incidents are not uncommon in the Bay Area. They've gotten 738 calls in the last 12 months from drivers reporting some form of road rage.

"Sometimes you just have to let it go," said St. Petersburg police spokesperson Yolanda Fernandez.

A study by gasbuddy.com says Tampa-St. Pete is the 19th-worst metro area for aggressive driving and 11th-worst for speeding.

"People are angry, bitter, resentful," said one neighbor who lives near where Hicks was killed. "They're going through emotional trauma and they just take it out on the next person."

Police say they're early in this investigation and are hoping to glean information from the other person in Hicks' car. 

They say there are many other witnesses but so far, the camera has been the key.

"There are occasional car thefts and people breaking into cars, but I do not think we ever expected anything like this," said Dunlop.

St. Petersburg police expect Shutt to appear in court Thursday morning.