MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Police have arrested one person after an apparent road rage incident in Miami Beach on the MacArthur Causeway.
Miami Beach Police units responded to the scene along the eastbound lanes, east of Bridge Road, at around 9:30 p.m., Sunday.
Officers were forced to draw their guns on the MacArthur causeway after calls about a road rage shooting.
“It was scary,” said 18-year-old Sean Francois.
Francois found himself in cuffs Sunday night, and it was all over party poppers.
Francois said the ordeal began to unfold around 9 p.m. when he and another carload of family and friends hopped on the causeway, headed for the beach, and encountered an aggressive driver.
“He was flickering his lights. He actually cut off my brother, and he almost literally run him off the road,” he said.
He said the other driver also shouted that he had a gun. And then…
“He threw a water bottle at my car,” Francois said.
That’s when francois started throwing adult party poppers.
“I grabbed multiple of them and just started throwing them at the car, and it was loud,” Francois said.
The adult party poppers were so loud that someone called police, who moved in with guns and shut down traffic. They never found a weapon or evidence of a shooting, but inside Francois’s car, an officer found some of the poppers.
“He actually came up to me and said, ‘Do not tell me those were the little poppers.’ I said. ‘I’m sorry, yes. They were.’”
By about 3 a.m. Monday morning, almost everyone involved was sent home.
Francois’s brother, 21-year-old Deandry Beaubrun, ended up in jail.
According to the arrest report, he was recording with his cell phone while he “continuously taunted and harassed officers,” interfering with the investigation.
He was charged with resisting without violence.
As for Francois, he said he’s left with a cut on his finger, a nick on his wrist and a valuable lesson about engaging in rage on the road.
“It wasn’t a wise decision because the police have to do their protocols, and it wasn’t good for them because it was a waste of time,” he said.
When asked what message he had for other drivers, Francois said, “Guys, really, don’t. It’s not worth it.”
7News went to the home of the other driver, and tried to reach him by phone. So far, no response.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.