TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A Winter Haven man was accused of attempted murder in a suspected road rage incident on Tuesday.
According to an arrest report from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Michael Bays, 58, stopped his truck in the middle of an intersection just before 10 a.m. and yelled at a man on a motorcycle.
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The motorcyclist reported wearing headphones at the beginning of the encounter, so he did not hear was was said. He reported hearing Bays say, “you’re endangering other people, I’m going to run you over, I am going to cut you off,” according to the PCSO arrest report.
The man drove off and headed home, not realizing Bays was following him, the report stated. He walked out of his carport to find Bays’ vehicle in his driveway.
According to PCSO, Bays exited the truck and “approached him aggressively,” which prompted him to tell Bays to leave his home and that he was armed with a knife. Bays returned to the car and, as the motorcyclist was taking photos of his license plate, “Bays turned the wheel in his direction and accelerated the vehicle striking him and causing him to fall to the ground,” according to the arrest report.