DORAL, Fla. – Newly-released surveillance video shows the end of a road rage incident that spanned 40 miles, from Broward County to Doral, that ended with a felony arrest, according to police.
Brian Joseph Putnam, 38, of Coral Springs, is facing multiple felony charges in connection with the incident.
Authorities said Putnam followed the victim, Steven Perkins, from the Sawgrass Expressway down to Doral before boxing him in a parking lot and refusing to allow him to leave, leading to charges of false imprisonment, aggravated stalking and battery.
According to an arrest report, the victim was driving his work truck in the left lane of the Sawgrass Expressway 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.
“(I thought) nothing at first, because I know how it is here in South Florida, but then once I kind of started noticing that he was riding my tail and tailgating me, I kind of started getting a little fear for my life,” Perkins said. “It’s actually sad that people have to go to that extent with road rage. You shouldn’t have to be that angry to follow somebody for 40 miles out of your day, (for) whatever reason. It’s ridiculous.”
They said a standoff followed in a parking lot at 8975 NW 25th St.
Police said during the parking lot showdown, Putnam “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.”
Besides surveillance footage of the incident, onlookers also took video.
“I felt like he was genuinely going to hurt me,” Perkins said.
Putnam would later bond out of jail.