DORAL, Fla. – A road rage incident that began on the Sawgrass Expressway in Broward County Tuesday morning ended all the way in Doral ― and led to the arrest of one of the men involved, police say.
Doral police arrested Brian Joseph Putnam, 38, of Coral Springs, on two felony charges and one misdemeanor.
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According to an arrest report, the victim was driving his work truck in the left lane when Putnam, in a Ford F-350, sped up behind him and nearly rear-ended him.
Police said the victim changed lanes to let a “persistently honking and tailgating” Putnam pass, but he did not pass and instead followed the victim for 40 minutes, ending up on the Palmetto Expressway in Miami-Dade County.
When the victim exited at Northwest 25th Street in Doral, he tried to “lose” Putnam by taking “multiple evasive driving maneuvers” to no avail.
Police said when the victim pulled into a parking lot at 8975 NW 25th St., Putnam followed and boxed him in.
The report states that Putnam then “exited his vehicle and began walking around the parking lot, prompting the victim to continuously reverse his vehicle in an effort to avoid direct contact.”
Putnam, police said, went to the sidewalk and stood holding a cellphone and “nodd(ed) his head in the victim’s direction.”
Police said Putnam then got back in his pickup and “drove toward” the victim, making a U-turn “in an apparent attempt to block his path” and “intentionally sideswiped the victim’s vehicle.”
“The victim then attempted to proceed toward the parking lot exit; however, (Putnam) accelerated and deliberately obstructed his path, preventing him from leaving the premises,” the report states. “The victim subsequently reversed into a parking space located away from the entrance of the lot. At that time, (Putnam) also parked his vehicle in reverse, positioning it in a parking space adjacent to the entrance/exit of the parking lot.”
Doral police then arrived and detained Putnam. They said CCTV footage corroborated the victim’s account of the incident. Putnam declined to speak to officers, who arrested him on charges of false imprisonment, aggravated stalking and battery.
A Miami-Dade judge found probable cause Wednesday to charge Putnam and set his bond at $3,500.