A Harbor Hills man was arrested after allegedly pulling a gun on his neighbor after a road rage incident.
Mario Arteaga, 50, who lives at 39541 Grove Heights in the gated community in Lady Lake, was arrested at 6 p.m. Sunday at his home on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Arteaga had been at the wheel of a white Chrysler 300 when the road rage incident occurred on Grays Airport Road, according to an arrest report from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
The driver of a Ford F-250 truck told deputies he had stopped because two vehicles ahead of him, one towing a travel trailer and another towing a boat, were attempting to turn onto a dirt road. The Chrysler 300 came up behind the Ford F-250 and entered the oncoming lane of traffic while attempting to pass the truck in a no passing zone. The Chrysler 300 and the Ford F-250 both entered the gate at Harbor Hills and the Chrysler followed the Ford F-250 to the owner’s home. Arteaga accused the other man of attempting to run him off the road.
Arteaga pulled what appeared to be a 9mm Glock pistol and pointed it at the face of the other driver, who had been accompanied by his wife and children.
A deputy located Arteaga at his home and he claimed he had been trying to ascertain that the other man was, in fact, a resident of Harbor Hills. Arteaga, who has had a leg amputated, claimed a gun had not been involved. Arteaga suggested that the other man might have been confused by a remote control for the collar of Arteaga’s service dog. The deputy noted in the report that Arteaga spoke to the dog in German. Arteaga’s “estranged” wife was allowed to take the dog and secure the home, the report said.
Arteaga was taken into custody and booked at the Lake County Jail. He was released after posting $2,000 bond.
