LEE COUNTY, Fla. — A Florida man is behind bars after he allegedly threatened a woman with a machete during a road rage incident Monday in Lee County.
Phillip Zmijewski was arrested for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, the Lee County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post. The incident happened around 5:22 p.m. when deputies arrived at the intersection of Via Rapallp Drive and Via Villagio Parkways to speak with the woman.
The woman told deputies that the situation began after Zmijewski closely tailgated behind her, flashing his lights. This went on for several blocks before escalating at the intersection, the agency said.
"Zmijewski stepped out of their car while wielding a machete and approached the victim, placing them in fear for their life," deputies stated in the post.
After gathering information on Zmijewski's appearance from the woman, deputies were able to locate and arrest him.
"No driver should be in fear while on the road!" Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno stated in the post. "Road rage or violent exchanges of any kind won't be tolerated."
This news comes just a day after a Florida state appeals court said a man can face a charge of carrying a concealed weapon by a convicted felon after police discovered he was carrying a machete at an Orlando Walmart, according to a report from CBS News Miami.
That appeals court concluded that a machete could be considered a deadly weapon, even though the law barring felons from carrying concealed weapons doesn't specifically mention it.
These aren't the only recent incidents involving machetes in Florida. Back in October, a teen Donald Trump supporter was charged with threatening Kamala Harris backers at a state polling place.
