A Florida man was arrested over a wild road rage incident that started with a cup of coffee at a Chick-fil-A, authorities say.
Donavan Robert Matthews, 36, stands accused of two counts of aggravated battery resulting in bodily harm and one count each of simple assault, simple battery, and criminal mischief, according to Flagler County Sheriff’s Office records reviewed by Law&Crime.
Scenes of the incident that ultimately landed the man in jail were apparently caught in a few photos by an onlooker.
On Saturday morning, he allegedly got into an argument with a man and a woman at a Chick-fil-A on Palm Coast Parkway in Palm Coast, Florida, according to an arrest report obtained by Orlando-based Fox affiliate WOFL. It’s roughly 60 miles south of Jacksonville.
Eventually, the altercation got supercharged when either the man or the woman threw a cup of cold coffee at Matthews — and into his vehicle — and then left the fast food chain, authorities said. It is unclear if the thrown cup of coffee or its contents made contact with him.
Matthews then got into his dark-colored SUV and pursued the fleeing couple, the sheriff’s office said. Then, the defendant allegedly used his vehicle to strike their white pickup truck near Walgreens.
“Just literally rammed him,” Marc Plew told WOFL.
After that, all three got out of their vehicles near Diandra Thruway and Palm Coast Parkway. There, the argument continued, eventually devolving past words once again. Matthews, at one point, is alleged to have thrown a punch at the woman’s face.
The other man, however, intervened and took the punch instead, according to the sheriff’s office. The two men then ended up on the ground, where the suspect is alleged to have repeatedly struck the man who defended the woman.
“I can’t imagine how someone could be triggered that bad — that quick — to do what that gentleman did,” Plew told the TV station. “It just shocked me … to see someone getting that mad to the point of totally ruining their lives.”
Donavan Robert Matthews appears in a booking photo. (Flagler County Sheriff’s Office)
The sheriff’s office said as the two men tussled, the woman brandished a gun, the Miami Herald reported.
“Out of fear, the (woman) took an unloaded rifle out of the truck in an attempt to stop Matthews from fighting with the (man),” deputies said.
He was detained on $33,000 bail, which he posted on Monday, jail records show.
The Herald reported the sheriff’s office saying charges against the coffee thrower are “pending” and have been filed with the state attorney’s office.
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