Florida man faces 9 felonies in road rage along Alligator Alley, state police say

A Southwest Florida man was charged with nine felonies stemming from a road rage along Alligator Alley earlier this month, state police say.

Francisco Gonzalez, 44, of Lehigh Acres faces three counts each of discharging a firearm from a vehicle; shooting or throwing a missile into a dwelling, building, vehicle or aircraft; and aggravated assault with intent to commit a felony.

Florida Highway Patrol troopers say they responded to a call from a black Toyota Tundra driver with a U-Haul trailer. The driver reported being shot at by someone inside a black Infiniti QX80, following a road rage incident at about 5 p.m. May 5.

What happened during incident on Alligator Alley

The Tundra driver was east on Alligator Alley, or Interstate 75, when the black Infiniti QX80 cut him off, the man told FHP. A back-and-forth road rage incident ensued, which led to gunshots being fired from the Infiniti, state police said in a news release emailed Friday night.

The Infiniti left the scene, while the victim stopped to contact law enforcement. FHP says troopers immediately responded to the scene and began a criminal investigation.

Troopers determined the time and location of the incident and the fact that the back window of the Infiniti was shot out. Based on this, FHP analysts with the agency's Bureau of Criminal Investigations, and Intelligence identified the suspect vehicle using license plate readers in the area.

Suspect asserted he 'stood his ground' to protect his family

Troopers found the suspect vehicle was being serviced at a local dealership and responded to the dealership to speak with the suspected driver, Gonzalez.

Gonzalez told troopers he felt the driver of the Tundra almost killed him and his family by driving in his lane. Gonzalez said he did what he did to defend his wife and stepson, who were also in the vehicle at the time, FHP said in the news release.

Read more: 'Overkill': Family of man killed by Cape Coral police reacts after officers cleared

After speaking to everyone involved and reviewing all evidence, FHP Investigators determined that Gonzalez’s assertion that he “stood his ground” to protect his family was not valid.

As a result of the investigation, the Infiniti was impounded, evidence was collected, and Gonzalez was arrested and transported to Collier County Jail.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Florida man jailed with 9 felonies in I-75 road rage, FHP says