An incident of road rage escalated to gunfire on a Florida highway has led to an Indian River County man facing attempted murder charges. According to the Polk County Sheriff's Office, 43-year old Mitchell Gens was arrested after he turned himself in on Sunday, following an investigation into the shooting incident that occurred near Lake Wales on March 21.

Officials say Gens shot at a semi-truck multiple times during the road rage event that took place around 11:45 am on State Road 60 near Grape Hammock Road. The driver of the semi-truck, who was unharmed, reported the shooting and presented dashcam video to deputies. The video was critical in helping to quickly identify the suspect's vehicle—a gray Ford F-150 with a distinctive Punisher decal.

Crime analysts from the PCSO's Real Time Crime Center used the photo to determine the vehicle's owner, leading detectives to Gens. In a phone conversation with a detective, Gens admitted to firing two shots at the semi, claiming the truck tried to run him off the road. However, the truck's dashcam footage revealed that Gens' pickup was actually passing in a no-passing zone and the semi did not appear to make any aggressive maneuvers towards Gens' vehicle.

Gens was booked on charges of Attempted 2nd Degree Murder with a Weapon (F1) and Discharging a Firearm from a Vehicle (F2), as reported by the Polk County Sheriff's Office. Following his confession, an arrest warrant was obtained, which led Mitchell Gens to voluntarily turn himself in to the authorities.

Past run-ins with the law for Gens include arrests for a variety of offenses such as animal abuse, criminal mischief, DUI, providing a false name to law enforcement, and driving with a suspended or revoked license, detailed in his arrest history. The semi-truck affected by the shooting was found with four bullet holes and was disabled due to the inflicted damage.