Eric Popper will no longer face charges for shooting at another driver through his own windshield during a road rage incident on Interstate 95 in Miami. The video of the aforementioned road rage incident, which occurred in the middle of June 2021, went viral back in January of 2022.
It was reported that Popper overreacted from a thrown water bottle.
Chilling dash camera video obtained by Local 10 News shows a road rage incident that led to shots being fired.
The incident was first reported on last June when two cars were found riddled with bullets on the southbound lanes of I-95 near 135th Street.
The suspect, 30-year-old Eric Popper, was driving his black Toyota Venza when new video from the rear of the vehicle shows how he abruptly cut off another driver.
That driver began to tailgate Popper, who is then seen slamming on his brakes.
According to state troopers, seconds after that the driver pulls up to the passenger side of Popper’s car and throws a water bottle at it.
That’s when Popper quickly started shooting right through his own car windows. Video captures the other driver speeding away.
But, with the help of Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” provision, Popper was able to convince authorities that the object aimed at him wasn’t a water bottle, resulting in the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office dropping charges against Popper.
“I think under the stand your ground law, Mr. Popper was perfectly reasonable and justified in his actions,” said Robert Gershman, the attorney representing Popper. “There was no question when you look and listen to the facts of the case, Mr. Popper was shot at.”
Popper said he is ready to move forward with his life.
“Hindsight is 20/20. There are always things we can look back and say we wish we could have done differently. Definitely, I would have done --would be to not have pumped my brakes. I would have taken another tactic. Definitely try to de-escalate a little better,” he said.