Florida ranks as the most dangerous state in America for road rage shootings.
Every 18 hours someone gets shot in a road rage incident.
And a Florida man cut off drivers and pointed a gun at their heads in a broad daylight highway nightmare.
Convicted Felon Blocked Highway And Pulled Gun On Innocent Drivers
Blackie Alvarez, 33, turned a Sunday afternoon drive into every motorist's worst fear.
Police arrested the convicted felon after he allegedly terrorized drivers on Highway 331 near DeFuniak Springs.
Witnesses called 911 around 1 p.m. on February 8 after watching Alvarez speed around them while honking his horn.
The victims told deputies Alvarez pulled his white Ford Explorer directly in front of their vehicle and slammed on the brakes.
That's when he pulled out a black handgun and pointed it straight at them.
When DeFuniak Springs police finally pulled Alvarez over, he calmly stepped out of his vehicle and removed the handgun from his waistband.
He placed it on top of his car.
Officers found two sets of brass knuckles stuffed in his pockets.
Alvarez refused to speak with investigators and now sits in Walton County Jail on a $235,000 bond.
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He faces seven felony charges including two counts of false imprisonment, two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, two counts of unlawful carry of a concealed weapon, and driving without a license.
Police also discovered Alvarez had an outstanding warrant in Bay County for failure to pay child support.
Florida Has Become Ground Zero For Armed Road Rage
This isn't an isolated incident in Florida.
The state recorded 511 gun-related road rage incidents over a 10-year period.
That's second only to Texas in total numbers and puts Florida at the top nationally for the rate of gun violence on the roads.
Road rage shootings doubled nationwide between 2018 and 2022.
In 2023, someone was shot and either wounded or killed in a road rage incident every 18 hours on average.
Psychologists identify what experts call "hostile attribution bias" as the trigger mechanism.
Drivers assume other motorists are intentionally trying to disrespect them.
What might be a simple lane change becomes a personal attack in their minds.
That perceived slight activates the brain's amygdala and triggers an immediate fight-or-flight response.
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Research shows drivers with guns in their cars are significantly more likely to exhibit aggressive behavior like cutting people off and making obscene gestures.
The anonymity of being inside a vehicle creates what psychologists describe as a "separation from consequences."
Drivers feel emboldened to act in ways they'd never dream of in face-to-face interactions.
Florida's gun laws make the problem worse.
States that don't require permits for carrying firearms have more than triple the rate of road rage shootings compared to states with strict permitting standards.
The victims in Alvarez's case did exactly what experts recommend.
They called 911 instead of engaging with the armed driver.
One wrong move and this story could have ended with bodies instead of arrests.
Alvarez's criminal history as a convicted felon shows exactly why he wasn't legally allowed to possess that handgun in the first place.
The brass knuckles suggest he was looking for a confrontation whether drivers cooperated or not.
What started as aggressive horn honking on a Sunday afternoon nearly became another statistic in Florida's exploding road rage crisis.
Sources:
- Michael Sinkewicz, "Florida man allegedly points gun at multiple drivers during road rage confrontation," Fox News, February 12, 2026.
- Anna Young, "Toothless Florida nutjob arrested for allegedly pointing gun at driver in road rage frenzy," New York Post, February 11, 2026.
- "Central Florida grapples with rising road rage incidents," WFTV, April 24, 2025.
- "47 Road Rage Statistics for 2025," Geotab, May 30, 2025.
- "Road Rage Shootings Remain Alarmingly High," Everytown Research, December 19, 2024.
- "Science Behind Road Rage," Siegfried & Jensen, October 7, 2025.
- "Road Rage in Florida: The Rising Incidents and Dangers Behind Fort Myers Auto Accidents," Don't Get Hit Twice, March 10, 2025.
