A mixed martial arts fighter and Iraq War veteran was arrested Monday after police say he violently attacked two men in Coral Springs during a road rage incident.
Fernando Rodrigues, 31, was driving behind pool service man Juan Uribe, 25, and his boss, Michael Caccavella, 54, on State Road 7.
The two men hesitated when the light turned green, prompting Rodrigues to tailgate, honk, yell obscenities, and brandish a gun from his Hummer, Channel 10 reports.
When Caccavella pulled over to let the Hummer pass, Rodrigues approached the vehicle, started screaming about that he was a Marine who served in Iraq, and hit the driver in the face with the gun. Caccavella told Uribe to run. "I'm 54. He's 25. I figured if I was going to get shot, at least I've lived my life," he told Channel 10.
As the passenger ran, Rodrigues went after him.
Uribe told WSVN 7, "He hit me right here in the eye. When I went [down], the next thing I saw was his knee coming for my face. He hit me with the knee, and after that, that's when I went on the floor and I covered my body, and he was kicking me, kneeing me."
While Uribe endured fractured bones in his eye socket, Caccavella went for his own gun. He told the Sun Sentinel, "I was ready to shoot him and do everyone on Earth a favor. I pulled the trigger, but realized I didn't have one in the chamber."
By that point, Coral Springs Police arrived and arrested Rodrigues. He is charged with burglary of a structure, burglary with an assault, and two counts of aggravated assault with a fire arm.
Because Rodrigues is a trained MMA fighter who fights under the name "El Gato," he is also charged on three counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon -- his hands.
Rodrigues appeared in court Tuesday where prosecutors identified him as an MMA fighter and trainer at American Top Team, a martial arts training facility in Aventura.
His ATT profile, which has been since removed, says he attended the Citadel Military College and was a U.S. Marine infantryman who served several tours in Iraq.
Rodrigues is being held at Broward County Jail on $40,000 bond.