A road rage incident led to the arrest of a biker and his passenger after he was accused of pointing a gun at a driver and she was accused of brandishing a baton, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
Gregg Pacheco, 53, and Amy Pacheco, 46, of Palm Coast, were charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill. Gregg Pacheco was also charged with criminal mischief for shattering the van’s mirror, according to a charging affidavit, as well as violating his probation for a previous reckless driving conviction.
Gregg Pacheco was being held on $40,000 bond at the Flagler County jail. Amy Pacheco was released Thursday from the Flagler County jail after posting a $7,500 bond.
The incident occurred about 5:35 p.m. Tuesday.
A man told deputies he was driving his work van westbound across the Hammock Dunes bridge. He said a coworker was behind him in another work van. A man riding a Harley-Davidson motorcycle was behind the second work van. The biker was revving the motorcycle’s engine and riding close to the double-yellow line, the affidavit stated.
The man said he continued driving his van at the 35 mph speed limit. He said the motorcyclist crossed the double-yellow line into the opposing lane, the affidavit stated.
The van driver also said that when he stopped at the red light at Palm Coast Parkway and Palm Harbor, he told the man driving the motorcycle: “If you guys ride like that, you’re going to get yourself killed.”
He said the woman passenger on the motorcycle pulled out a collapsible baton, opened it to its full length and said, “We’re not going to die, you’re going to (expletive) die!” according to the affidavit.
During the confrontation, the motorcyclist also smashed the driver’s side mirror, shattering it, the affidavit stated.
As the light turned green, the man on the motorcycle pulled out a gun and pointed it at the driver before speeding away, the affidavit stated. The van’s driver said the gun was black and “looked like a Glock.”
The driver provided the motorcycle’s license plate and deputies went to the owner’s house on Wasserman Drive in Palm Coast. Deputies arrived and saw a motorcycle in the garage just as the garage door closed.
But no one came to the door or answered phone calls or responded to announcements on a deputy’s public address system.
Deputies left, but placed the Pachecos’ vehicles on a list to be stopped.
The pair was arrested Wednesday.
“Both suspects were arrested and then claimed to have medical issues and were transported to the hospital. Investigators interviewed both subjects, who confessed to various elements of the incident,” according to the sheriff’s office.
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly stated in a press release that people need to control their anger.
“The victim in this situation did the right thing by reporting the incident and letting our deputies handle this dangerous situation. Drivers need to remember to control their anger and actions. Road rage will only lead you to the Green Roof Inn, especially if there’s a gun involved,” Staly, who refers to the county jail as the “Green Roof Inn,” said in the release. “Irresponsible and angry drivers have no place in Flagler County. Hopefully they will take our anger management course in the jail or be required to by the court.”
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Palm Coast biker couple arrested after road rage confrontation
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