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Florida man charged with attempted murder after road rage incident in Polk County: PCSO

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Updated  March 25, 2025 5:04pm EDT
Polk County
FOX 13 News

The Brief

    • A Florida man is in the Polk County Jail after turning himself in for a Friday road rage incident, PCSO said.
    • Deputies say they were given dashcam footage of the incident, which left a semi-truck with bullet holes.
    • The suspect faces multiple charges and has a criminal record.

LAKE WALES, Fla. - A Florida man turned himself in days after a road rage incident in Polk County.

Deputies say they found a semi-truck with four bullet holes just before noon on State Road 60 near Grape Hammock Rd.

Mugshot of Mitchell Gens. Courtesy: Polk County Sheriff's Office.

Mitchell Gens, 43, of Fellsmere, is charged with attempted second-degree murder with a weapon and discharging a firearm from a vehicle, PCSO says.

What we know:

According to deputies, he fired the shots from his pickup truck, a gray Ford F-150 with a punisher decal on the back window.

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In dashcam video taken by the victim, Gens can be seen shooting at the truck, according to investigators.

The video allowed deputies to capture a photo of Gens’s truck, which crime analysts with PCSO's Real Time Crime Center say they used to identify Gens. 

After a phone call with detectives, Gens admitted to shooting at the truck but claimed it was after the truck tried to run him off the road. 

Deputies say there was no indication that the truck tried to run Gens off the road.

Dig deeper:

During the call, Gens also admitted to taking the punisher decal off his truck because he knew authorities were looking for him.

PCSO placed an arrest warrant on Gens, who eventually turned himself in.

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Deputies say Gens has a criminal history, which includes arrests for animal abuse, criminal mischief, DUI, false name to LEO, and three incidents of driving with a suspended or revoked license.

What we don't know:

The name and identity of the victim are unknown to FOX 13. It is also unknown if Gens had to travel back to Polk County from Fellsmere to comply with the arrest warrant. 

This is an ongoing story; more information will be provided if it becomes available.

The Source: This story was written with information provided by the Polk County Sheriff's Office.

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