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Police: Man Shoots At SUV In Starke Road-Rage Attack

Kevin Dezurik (Photo from Bradford County Sheriff's Office)
Kevin Dezurik (Photo from Bradford County Sheriff's Office)

Two men are in custody in Bradford County after police say one of them fired a gun into an SUV in a road-rage incident.

Kevin Dezurik, 45, was driving a semi-truck on Highway 301 in Starke Tuesday evening when an SUV driven by Guy Gould, 52, cut the semi-truck off, according to a Bradford County Sheriff’s Office arrest report.

Dezurik eventually cut the SUV off and forced it to stop in the median, and he then got out of his truck and fired at the SUV six times.

Dezurik later told police that he fired because Gould had pointed a handgun at him, the report said.

Both men were charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Dezurik remained in jail as of Wednesday afternoon on a $10,000 bond, but Gould was no longer listed as an inmate.

After Gould’s SUV pulled in front of Dezurik’s semi-truck, there was space between the two, the report said. But Dezurik caught up to Gould and turned on his bright lights. In response, Gould displayed a handgun out his window, Dezurik told police.

Dezurik then drove into the other lane, passed Gould and cut him off, sending Gould into the median. Dezurik stopped his semi-truck, got out and displayed his gun as he approached the SUV.

But Gould drove off as Dezurik approached — but not before Dezurik fired two shots into the SUV’s side and four at its rear.

Police received a call about the shooting and, while investigating, found both vehicles in different locations in the county.

Gould told police that he doesn’t remember waiving his handgun because he has PTSD from 23 years in the military.

While road-rage incidents are becoming more common, this one was more severe than usual, Bradford County Sheriff's Office Maj. Bradford Smith later told WUFT News.

“For them to escalate to the point where individuals are shooting firearms at each other is fairly rare,” he said. “It’s a very scary thought that people were very close to being seriously hurt or even killed.”

Smith said that avoiding such situations are simple: Do not drive in an aggressive manner, and be mindful of other drivers. If someone is approaching, get near people and light, he said.

“If they feel like there’s going to be some type of incident like this, try and find a well-lit, highly populated area, pull in there and call 911,” Smith said. “Do not try to retaliate, [and] do not try to do something to one-up the other person.

“Remove yourself from the situation before it escalates to the point where somebody could lose a life over it.”

Turner F. Street is a reporter for WUFT and can be reached at turners@ufl.edu or 904-382-9272.