Road Rage VIDEO Shooting Through Windshield on FL Highway

This YouTube video captures an entirely avoidable road rage incident involving a man named Marco Mazzetta. The incident is a perfect example of what can happen when we fail to control our emotions. As expected, things escalate rapidly. And when endangering innocent motorists on the highway with their reckless driving isn't enough, Marco shoots at the driver of the other car through his windshield.

Orange County Florida Road Rage Incident:

The incident started when the man and his friend were driving in his truck through Orange County. In the video, we see a Nissan approaching quickly and driving closely behind Mazzetta's truck.

Foolish Choice #1

According to Mazzetta, he “brake checked” the driver of the Nissan, who bumped into the back of the truck. Let's pause here and acknowledge, this is dangerous for you, the driver behind you, and people in nearby vehicles. If your concern is that someone is putting people at risk with their reckless driving, the solution is not to do the same thing.

Foolish Choice #2

Next, the Nissan zips around to the front of Mazzetta's truck. The driver of the Nissan then brandishes a handgun out of the window toward the sky.

Instead of slowing down and avoiding the Nissan altogether, he follows behind.

What's the plan?

As he follows behind the Nissan, he lets go of the steering wheel and fires several rounds at the vehicle through his windshield.

There isn't any indication that the driver of the Nissan fired back at Mazzetta. What if he had? What is the plan? A rolling gunfight on the highway? Over what? Your anger over someone's unsafe driving?

Is it possible the driver of the Nissan could fire back at Mazzetta? Sure, but it would be tough. Imagine trying to shoot your handgun at a target directly behind you while you drive at highway speeds?

Gunfights in and around vehicles require special considerations.

Tactical and Practical Decision:

From a tactical and practical standpoint, Mazzetta's decision to follow behind and shoot at the Nissan was awful. He placed himself, his passenger, and other motorists in the area at far greater risk than the driver of the Nissan did.

Mazzetta had every advantage: He was the rear-most car, had the only clear shot. If you can call driving fast on a highway with moving targets “clear.”

It's been nearly a year since this incident took place. As is usually the case, there is no follow-up news story. At the time of the incident, the Nissan driver fled, and the police never identified him. No one came forward to claim any injury from errant rounds. And the police didn't arrest Mazzetta.

Consider Alternatives to Shooting:

First, it is by God's grace and not Mazzetta's actions that no one was hurt.

Secondly, we should NOT assume that because police didn't arrest Mazzetta, as a justification that his decisions and actions were morally OR legally justified.

The best course of action would have been not to break check the vehicle from the beginning.

Then when the driver brandished the handgun, he should have slowed down and AVOIDED the person.

carjacking

Have you practiced your draw while seated in a vehicle? You absolutely should.

If that Doesn't Work:

Suppose the driver of the Nissan slowed down and blocked Mazzetta's ability to evade (which ISN'T what happened here.) Then, avoidance may not be a viable option. At that point, engaging with the handgun may be an option, but it still may not be the best option.

Shooting through auto glass can change the trajectory of bullets. Trying to shoot accurately through a windshield is difficult, let alone when you and the target are moving at highway speeds (and you're the driver of the vehicle!)

And even if you are legally and morally justified in using deadly force, you HAVE to consider innocent people. I mean, isn't that the whole reason Mazzetta was upset enough to break check the driver? Because the Nissan's driver was putting innocent people in harm's way?

If you don't know what your bullet will impact and you've got potential innocent people around, you should not shoot unless not shooting outweighs the possibility of injuring innocent people. In this case, that clearly wasn't even close to what happened.

Captured Video:

And let this also be a warning that brake checking people is not a smart move. As seen in this video, all you're going to do is anger someone who has anger problems. Letting the guy go around you without coming to a stop would be a good idea. Grab the plate number and vehicle description.  Call the police and give them the info along with a location and direction of travel.

Learn From Our Mistakes?

Not long after the incident, Mazzetta stated a local news agency.:

I know this video doesn't capture my smartest moments but I hope any idiot criminal with a gun watching thinks twice before loading, brandishing & aiming their firearm at someone over a traffic infraction.

Not the smartest moments?

Sometimes the glaring lack of self-awareness is shocking. For example, Mazzetta was the ONLY one shooting rounds from a moving vehicle. That isn't “not smart”; it's dangerously foolish. And he accurately describes his actions during the incident when he describes the “idiot criminal.” He loaded, brandished, aimed (and fired) rounds at someone over a traffic infraction.

The driver of the Nissan is wrong as well and certainly doesn't get a free pass for any of his actions. I think that is pretty obvious.

In the “Heat of the Moment”

And, I am sure some people will say, you weren't there, don't judge the decisions Mazzetta made in the heat of the moment.

Sorry, I disagree. Mazzetta didn't decide to break-check in “the heat of the moment.” Mazzetta didn't decide to follow behind the Nissan in “the heat of the moment.” Even Mazzetta didn't decide to shoot in the “heat of the moment.”

These were choices Mazzetta made not because he needed to make split-second life or death decisions. Instead, he made these choices because he let bravado, ego, and lack of self-control win.

And these are the exact motivations of the guy in the Nissan.

If you want to be the good guy, don't behave like the bad guy.

Be the Reporting Party:

It's important to note that Mazzetta is the one who called the police to report the incident, which was a smart move on his part. Had he not called the police and the driver of the Nissan had things might have turned out differently. Similarly, imagine if another motorist reported this to the police: “a guy in a truck with plate number ### just shot at another car and drove off.”

Leave your thoughts on this in the comments below.

We hope you never find yourself on either end of a situation like this. But road rage is a widespread occurrence. So while evading is ALWAYS the priority, it may not always be an option.

Also, violent carjackings are on the rise across the country. We have a fantastic resource called Vehicle Firearm Tactics. The video course teaches best practices for using your handgun and fighting in and around your vehicle. It is available for digital download or DVD.

Learn more about it here.

carjackings

Learn more about shooting from within, around, and into a vehicle!

About Joshua Gillem

Josh is a lifelong practitioner and student of the gun. He grew up shooting/hunting with his dad, and was given his first gun, a 12 gauge shotgun, when just a small boy. After high school, he joined the Marines where his love for firearms blossomed as he qualified with an M16A2, an M9, and a 240G. Josh has been writing about firearms and tactics for several years, owns the blog Gunners Den, is a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment, and believes that each individual person has the right to self-defense by any means necessary. Currently residing in gun-friendly NC, he carries a concealed gun on a daily basis, even in his own house.

8 Comments

  1. Brad on October 1, 2020 at 6:23 pm

    No imminent threat, no justification to use deadly force.

    This guy needs to be arrested. Not justified at all in using his pistol and should be held liable for culpable negligence to his passenger as well.

    • Ken Johnson on April 30, 2021 at 4:13 pm

      It was NOT a “self-defense” situation. The shooter sped up to 102 mph as indicated on his camera, to catch up to theNissan, which was moving away from him. The Nissan driver an idiot, but NEVER actually pointed the pistol anywhere close to the public’s direction.
      Total raging yahoo. Classic “Florida man”

  2. Jim on October 2, 2020 at 11:00 am

    I would hope an arrest will be forthcoming. There was absolutely NO justification for unleashing deadly force upon the nissan driver, let alone anyone else in the vicinity who may have caught a slug.

    As if it were not stupid enough to do the shooting, this idiots video from his own dash camera ends up in the hands of Access Hollywood, and broadcast on national TV. I’m sorry. but that is “I’m a moron. and deserve to go to jail” STUPID!

  3. G on October 2, 2020 at 6:45 pm

    I have 3 renewals on my Florida cwp. Florida is fairly clear, it is illegal to display a firearm in a threatening manner or display a firearm for the sole purpose of changing someone’s behavior or inciting fear. I suspect Florida law is going to justify this shooting. Regarding why didn’t truck driver stop truck and let Nissan driver go down the road, he should have but in Florida there is not requirement to retreat from a threat. Based on what I understand about Florida law and history of similar cases the guy in the truck is going to be ok. I could be wrong, but the video takes away one of the biggest tools away from the prosecution – they can’t prove him a liar and discredit his testimony.

  4. George Silowash on October 5, 2020 at 9:45 am

    My own opinion is that the guy provoked the Nissan driver with a “brake check,” causing a minor accident, as well as angering the person driving the Nissan. The Nissan passes him and sticks something out the driver’s side window that “appears to be” a gun. I could not tell what it was. In any event, the driver of the Nissan was no longer a threat and deadly force was not justified.

    The driver of the truck threw out his “stand your ground” rights when he provoked the Nissan driver with the “brake check.” When the threat was removed (Nissan driver pulls in front of him at a distance) there was no justification for using a firearm. The deadly threat did not exist. The truck driver needs to be held accountable for attempted homicide and reckless endangerment.

  5. Steven on September 22, 2021 at 7:18 am

    Wow no common sense at all just shoot cuz your pissed is a no no I always avoid a fight you’re better off 🙏🏻

  6. Bryan on October 18, 2021 at 7:46 am

    This is not the full video the 350z slowed down before branding the gun and as passing back by the truck he started to point the gun at the truck and the truck returned fire -video link redacted-. And yes brake checking is a bad idea we never know the mindset of other drivers but he was not fallowing the other car and he was not trying to cut him off. Need to have the complete story before making assumptions using a liberal tv stations reporting of the video and the video i linked was not the best one i have found but i am unable to locate a better one right now

    • Matthew Maruster on October 18, 2021 at 9:05 am

      Thanks for the longer video link. However, it doesn’t cause me to change anything I said in the original post. Also we don’t allow links in our comment so I had to remove the link.

Leave a Comment