Witnesses recall defendant stabbing victim in road-rage case

TAMPA, Fla. - The trial is wrapping up for a man accused of stabbing another man to death during an apparent case of road-rage.

Thursday, the jury was shown store surveillance video of defendant Teddy Baltimore Smith doing some shopping at a Tampa 7-Eleven.

Minutes later, prosecutors say he would drive away in his black BMW and stab Gilbert Serna to death.

Jim Galione was also on the road that day. He witnessed the altercation and recalled the defendant getting out of his car and approaching a pickup truck. 

He told the jury the defendant appeared annoyed and saw him do a stabbing motion toward the passenger window of the truck.

Galione then contacted a police officer down the road to report what he witnessed.

"Someone was attacked and, you know, it was the right thing to do," said Galione.

Driver David West saw the attack too.

"I think after what I saw this wasn't going to turn out too well. He had a much faster car then the lawn maintenance truck so it was just one of these road-rage sort of things," said West.

Prosecutors say Serna was sitting in the passenger seat of the truck and spat out the window onto the defendant's BMW. They say that enraged Smith, who got out of his car to confront Serna.

Jeffrey Hunter was driving the truck that day and says Serna apologized several times but Smith was not having it. The confrontation escalated and Smith returned with a knife.

However, Smith's defense team says it was Serna who was the aggressor that day, using racist language and appearing to reach for a machete in the bed of the truck.

Hunter says that never happened.

The trial is expected to wrap up Friday. Then the jury will have to decide what the evidence showed.