Eric Popper: Florida man's dashcam shows him shooting at another driver in road rage
A Florida man was caught firing his gun at another driver in his own dashcam footage in a case of road rage on an interstate highway. As seen in the footage, instead of words, Eric Popper fired gunshots at the other driver. The video was taken from the 30-year-old's own dashcam. It was further shared by talk show host Andy Slater via his Twitter.
Popper was arrested a month later for the June 2021 incident, where he fired over a dozen shots at the passing driver. This incident happened on I-95 in Miami.
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In the road rage video shared by Slater, Popper is seen firing shots through the windshield of his own car. Investigators believe that this wild road rage unfolded as Popper abruptly switched lanes in the morning rush hour. Popper, who was driving a black Toyota Venza, changed lanes during the rush, causing inconvenience to other drivers. As seen in the dashcam footage, Popper took a quick glance in his rearview mirror and shouted "F**k off" as some other driver blasted his horn.
SLATER SCOOP: Exclusive video of road-rage shooting in Miami from in-car camera.
— Andy Slater (@AndySlater) January 28, 2022
The shooter seen here was arrested and is awaiting trial. He told cops the other driver fired first.
(Warning: Language and gunfire) pic.twitter.com/10vDVEwBbw
As stated by authorities, Popper allegedly slammed the brakes as the other driver began tailgating him. The other driver probably made some hand gestures at Popper from the window. While Popper was constantly switching from looking in the rearview mirror and side mirrors, his hand was seen making way to the center console. This is when he pulled out the handgun.
The video further shows Popper aiming at the driver via his passenger door. As the other driver drove past his Toyota, Popper started firing shots from the window initially. He then started shooting from the windshield.
Popper's lawyer Robert Gershman said that his client fired only as a way to defend himself and that his client was shot at first. Gershman added, "On the video, you can hear and see the other driver shoot his car. Upon hearing the sound, Mr Popper then shoots back in self-defense, pulls over and calls 911."
Authorities reported that the other driver threw a water bottle at Popper as he passed his vehicle. Both the enraged drivers pulled over after the incident and called 911. While the other driver's car had several bullet holes, Popper willingly submitted his dashcam footage. He was arrested in July 2021 and is facing two charges of aggravated assault and firing a deadly missile.