VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – A 44-year-old man is facing multiple charges after deputies say he waved a handgun at another driver in a road rage incident Friday evening in Volusia County.
According to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office, the incident began shortly after 6 p.m. when a driver called 911 and reported that a man had been following him aggressively and appeared to be waving a firearm along Turnbull Bay Road.
“He pulled over, almost made me hit him. I went around him, and he’s been following me ever since,” the victim told dispatchers. “He’s gesturing for me to pull over, and it honestly looked like he was holding a gun.”
Fearing for his safety and the safety of his family at home, the victim drove directly to the New Smyrna Beach Police Department.
“If I go to my house and he’s following me, I’m going to have no option but to defend myself,” the man said.
Deputies were waiting at the police department when the suspect arrived. Body camera footage released by the sheriff’s office shows deputies ordering the driver, later identified as Shawn Eissler, to put his hands outside the vehicle.
“Put your hands out the window! Stop the car! Do not move!” one deputy is heard shouting.
Investigators said Eissler repeatedly reached into his vehicle despite being told to keep his hands visible. A pistol was later found on the passenger seat.
“Oh, the pistol is right there on the seat,” a deputy is heard saying in the video. “That’s what you were doing.”
When questioned by deputies, Eissler denied any serious confrontation.
“I wasn’t really having beef with him. He just cut me off and passed me, and I was like, what’s the deal,” Eissler said.
Eissler was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, driving under the influence, and several other offenses. As of Monday, he remains in the Volusia County Jail without bond.
The victim told News 6 he is thankful law enforcement responded quickly and that an arrest was made in the case.