A Summerfield motorcyclist is being held without bond in the Marion County Jail after he allegedly fired shots at a couple in a car during a road rage incident.
Damian Alexander Rothrock, 27, of 14630 SE 93rd Ave., was charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill and single counts of discharging a firearm from a vehicle and carrying a concealed weapon without a permit after the incident, which happened around 10:15 p.m. Sunday on SE 100th Avenue in Summerfield.
The victims were traveling in a silver GMC Arcadia. The driver told a Marion County sheriff’s deputy that Rothrock was riding a Harley-Davidson motorcycle and was traveling directly behind her when he entered the oncoming lane of traffic. He passed both her vehicle and the one in front of her. She said she also passed the vehicle in front of her because it was driving slowly, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The victim said she was traveling in the correct lane about three car lengths (20 feet) behind Rothrock’s motorcycle when he pulled a silver handgun out of his left pants pocket, aimed it back toward her vehicle and fired at least two shots. She said she saw sparks on the pavement in front of her vehicle as Rothrock shot the gun, the report said.
The victim said Rothrock then pulled over to the side of the road, got off the motorcycle and stood next to it while holding the gun down at his side. She said she continued driving past Rothrock, who then passed her again and pulled into a yard of a residence on SE 100th Avenue. The victim said she stopped and asked Rothrock why he shot at them, and he replied he thought they were law enforcement, according to the report.
The passenger in the vehicle told the deputy that Rothrock fired “two or three” bullets at their car while he was in front of them. He said when Rothrock pulled into the yard, his wife stopped their vehicle and he got out. The passenger said Rothrock pointed a large silver handgun at him and told him to leave the property. He said he and Rothrock were involved in a verbal argument until Rothrock ran inside the residence and came back outside without any firearms, the report said.
Both the driver and the passenger told the deputy they were in fear of being shot during the incident and wanted to pursue criminal charges. The deputy did not observe any damage or bullet holes on the victims’ vehicle, according to the report.
Rothrock told a deputy he thought the victims’ vehicle was another motorcycle due to how close it was behind him and how it was swerving. Asked if he shot a gun, Rothrock said, “I didn’t shoot at the car, I didn’t shoot at the car.” Asked again if he shot a gun during the incident, Rothrock said, “Yeah, but I didn’t discharge at …” He was then placed under arrest, the report said.
Asked where the handgun was, Rothrock told the homeowner, “There’s a revolver in your toolbox.” The homeowner gave the deputy permission to look in the toolbox in the garage, where the deputy found a black Charter Arms 38 Special revolver with a wooden handle. The revolver had three spent casings in the cylinder and two live rounds. Also in the toolbox was a fully loaded silver Regent 1911 45ACP with a black handle, according to the report.
After being read his Miranda warning, Rothrock said he didn’t want to speak to deputies about the incident. A computer search showed he did not possess a carry concealed weapon license, the report said.
Rothrock, who was previously arrested in July 2021 on a criminal mischief charge, is scheduled to appear in Marion County Court at 9 a.m. on May 10.