A trucker was arrested after allegedly shooting a man he suspected of breaking into his rig while it was parked in the wee hours at the TA Travel Center on State Road 44 in Wildwood.
James Robert Simmons, 58, of Roswell, Ga. called 911 at 3:23 a.m. Sunday and told a dispatcher he had to “fire on an individual” he thought was trying to break into his semi’s trailer.
Simmons had parked the blue 2002 Freightliner with an attached trailer near the diesel fuel island. The victim’s 2000 black Ford pickup was parked in the next space.
The victim had been urinating and Simmons had shined a flashlight in his eyes, the arrest report said.
“I find a reasonable person could have and should have de-escalated the situation without the use of his firearm,” the deputy wrote in the arrest report.
Simmons was arrested on a charge of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. He was booked at the Sumter County Detention Center on $35,000 bond.
