A Mount Dora teenager was arrested for allegedly causing about $2,000 worth of damage to a man’s golf cart during a road rage incident.
A 17-year-old male, whose name is being withheld because he is a juvenile, was charged with criminal mischief for purposely striking a golf cart, causing it to flip.
A deputy was dispatched to 32 Liberty Avenue in Sorrento regarding a hit-and-run around 10 p.m. Wednesday, according to an arrest report from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. While en route, he observed a Cadillac matching the description provided by the victim in front of the IGA store on County Road 435. The deputy stepped out with the vehicle and identified the driver as the juvenile from his license.
The deputy then went to the scene of the incident and spoke with the victim who advised that he was driving his golf cart on the road when a Cadillac sped past him. When the victim caught up to the vehicle, he asked the juvenile if he was okay and told him he should slow down, the report said.
The juvenile shouted something in response, and the victim pulled in front of the juvenile and reversed the golf cart, striking the vehicle. The victim then heard the engine rev. He tried to pull the golf cart off to the side of the road when he heard the tires squeal. The juvenile struck the back of the golf cart with his vehicle, causing it to flip and overturn, before driving off. The victim estimated the damage to the golf cart at about $2,000, the report said.
The deputy also interviewed a female witness who advised that she saw the victim pull next to the juvenile and ask if he knew what the speed limit was. The juvenile cursed at the victim, who pulled in front of the juvenile and reversed until he bumped the juvenile’s vehicle, the report said.
The victim then went to pull forward off the road, at which point the juvenile hit the gas and squealed the tires. He struck the golf cart, causing it to move forward then backward. He struck the golf cart again, and it flipped over. The juvenile then drove away from the scene, the report said.
The juvenile was subsequently arrested on charge of criminal mischief ($1k or more). The Michigan native was later processed within the department and released to a parent.
