A man accused of a road rage shooting in a Davie Costco parking lot appeared before a judge, local news outlets report. Rafael Javier, 52, stood in the Broward County Circuit Court today facing four charges, including two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, as a result of the incident that transpired the day before.
According to NBC Miami, Javier's bond has been set at $46,500. After his attorney's request for a lower bond due to his inability to pay was denied, the judge ordered him to have no contact with the victim and to surrender any weapons he owns. Caught on camera, the altercation appears to have escalated from an argument over a minor traffic infraction where a gunshot and the hissing of air from a tire are audible amid the confrontation.
The supposed trigger for the altercation, as Scott—the driver of the SUV whose tire was shot—told 7News, was him rolling somewhat too far at a stop sign. “Basically, I went a little too far into the stop sign, and then we started having a word back and forth,” he said, describing the beginning of their roadside discord.
When the tension escalated, Javier was recorded by a bystander's cellphone video swinging at Scott and subsequently firing the weapon. "My boyfriend just got into an altercation with someone, and he just shot our tire," said Scott's girlfriend during the panicked call to 911, which several shoppers dialed amidst the rumble. 7News footage later captured the suspect being escorted into the Broward County Jail by a Davie Police officer, where he sought, but was denied, a lighter financial burden for his temporary release.
No injuries have been reported from the incident, although the victim's SUV sustained damage to a tire and rim. Davie Police took Javier into custody shortly after the event and held him accountable through the legal proceedings that followed.
