Court appearance for suspect in road rage shooting on I-75

Reporter: Gail Levy Writer: Paul Dolan
Published:
Yanoti
Victim’s car in the road rage shooting on I-75, (CREDIT: WINK News)

A good samaritan followed Thomas Yanoti, an accused shooter, after leaving an SUV riddled with bullet holes on I-75.

The Collier County Sheriff’s Office said the driver had to duck out of the way to avoid getting shot. But, the driver was hurt when the windshield shattered over him.

“I find the facts of this case to be very egregious,” the judge said after listening to the case against 61-year-old Yanoti.

The fact is, many people claimed they saw Yanoti shoot at the Mercedes SUV on I-75. People either called and ran or made sure Yanoti couldn’t run far.

“Okay, okay, hold on, I’m gonna put my phone down and use Bluetooth just in case he sees me.” That’s what one caller said when following Yanoti’s silver lincoln for miles. “We just passed mile marker 120,” a caller said.

The driver in the Mercedes was still alive. “When he saw that the victim popped up and was still alive, he again shot at the victim, truly show that he was trying to kill him,” the state prosecutor said.

The man in the Mercedes survived the highway shooting without being hit by a single bullet.

“I’ve never heard in my life,” the victim said. “You just come out of the car and start shooting at my car? It was like, it was like, Wild, Wild West.”

It’s unclear what got Yanoti to stop shooting.

Yanoti faces multiple charges including, attempted second-degree murder. The judge set his bond at $1.5M.

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.