STUART, Fla. (CBS12) — A Florida man is jailed after deputies say he used a PIT maneuver to send a North Carolina family’s SUV into a barbed-wire fence during a road rage attack in Stuart.
According to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, the incident happened around 7:30 p.m. on Saturday near Kanner Highway and I-95.
Investigators identified the suspect as 36-year-old Michael Jeffrey Spiers, who is charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and child abuse.
Deputies say the family had no role in any confrontation before they were targeted.
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According to investigators, Spiers first went after a second driver, chasing her through a gas station parking lot before following her onto the highway. The woman told deputies he repeatedly tried to force her off the road.
Authorities say Spiers then turned his attention to the family’s vehicle, attempting to run it off the roadway before intentionally performing a PIT maneuver; a tactic typically used by law enforcement to stop fleeing vehicles.
The impact sent the family’s SUV spinning off the roadway and crashing into a barbed-wire fence, deputies said.
Investigators say witnesses reported Spiers was flailing his arms and making what appeared to be gang signs during the encounters.
Despite the violent crash, no one was injured, including a child who was inside the family’s vehicle.
Deputies also found a dog inside Spiers’ vehicle. The animal was safely removed without injury.
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During the investigation, detectives learned the dog had allegedly been stolen from someone Spiers previously dated. The dog has since been reunited with its owner, according to the sheriff’s office.
Spiers was taken into custody and remains jailed on charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and child abuse.