LAKELAND, Fla. — A Lakeland man faces a long list of charges, including attempted first-degree murder, after shooting someone in the face and trying to run the person's family off a road, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said.
Deputies responded late Tuesday night when a female 911 caller told a dispatcher that a man driving an orange sports car had just shot one of her relatives in the face. The man was following her as she tried to drive away with an elderly family member, a teenager and a child, investigators said.
The caller said the man pointed a handgun with a laser at her and tried to run her off the roadway, according to a news release. Deputies met her at a safe spot and sent out a description of the orange Dodge Challenger.
Authorities said the male who was shot in the face appeared to have been grazed by the bullet and is expected to recover. First responders were able to find and treat him at the initial scene where the shooting happened.
Soon after, deputies stopped an orange Challenger nearby. They say 22-year-old Pierre Drahorad was alone in the car.
Deputies say Drahorad admitted to owning a Glock 26 with a laser site. Authorities say he acknowledged pointing just the laser at the person who was grazed by the bullet, saying he did it because he thought the person stole his dog. But, deputies say, Drahorad denied pointing the actual handgun, firing it, or chasing after the family.
"He told deputies he gave the gun to a friend of his that evening - deputies responded to the friend's residence, and retrieved the firearm," the sheriff's office wrote in the release.
Ultimately, Drahorad was "positively identified" by the family involved in the ordeal, investigators said. His car was towed; and he was taken to the Polk County Jail, where he's being held without bond.
"This was an extremely dangerous situation that very well could have resulted in several deaths," Sheriff Grady Judd wrote in a statement. "Clearly this suspect has anger issues, and should not have access to firearms. We're glad the victims were able to get away from him and that our deputies were able to apprehend him so swiftly."
Drahorad is charged with attempted first-degree murder, three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault on a person over 65 years of age, discharging a firearm from a vehicle, improper use or display of a firearm, tampering with evidence, and reckless driving.
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