Two “crazy” dads are facing attempted murder charges after reportedly shooting at each other in a Florida road rage incident, with each man bullets hitting the other’s young daughter amidst the fray, authorities say.
William Hale, 35, of Georgia, and local Frank Allison, 43, shot at one another’s vehicles with semi-automatic handguns during the high-speed “cat-and-mouse” chase Saturday night, and were only arrested after they pulled over and started fighting right there on the highway, according to the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office.
Both Fathers’ Daughters, Ages 5 and 14, Shot in Leg And Back Respectively, With Older Victim Suffering Collapsed Lung
Hale’s 5-year-old daughter was shot in the leg and Allison’s 14-year-old daughter was shot in the back, leaving her with a collapsed lung, Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper confirmed during a Facebook press conference Monday.
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Bodycam footage taken from responding officer’s and obtained by News4Jax showed the aftermath of the incident.
“What’s scarier than one crazy driver with a gun? Two crazy drivers with a gun,” the sheriff said. “Thankfully, no one was killed in this incident, but it could have very easily turned out that way because two people were acting stupid and let their tempers get the best of them.”
“There could have been two dead kids because of two stupid grown men.”
Leeper went on to say that his agency “received multiple 911 calls with reports of people being shot at” on Highway 1 on the outskirts of Jacksonville.
The Post reports that one of those callers informed police that a black Dodge Ram pickup was “involved in a cat-and-mouse game” with a gray Nissan Murano, with another car also being involved at one point before the shootout.
Sheriff Says Both Men Were “Speeding,” “Driving Erratically,” And Break-Checking Each Other Before Shootings
Leeper added that both men were “speeding” and “driving erratically,” with both men also brake-checking each other, which is the act of “getting in front of each other and applying (slamming) the brakes.”
Authorities say that at one point during the chase, Hale pulled his car next to Allison’s and began yelling, prompting Allison’s wife Jessica to “flick him off with her middle finger” in response.
A water bottle was then thrown at her from Hale’s vehicle, just before the gun fight began.
“The driver of the Nissan, Allison, then grabbed his Sig Sauer .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun and fired one shot at the Dodge truck before driving away at an average speed,” Leeper said, adding that the driver admitted firing the shot “to get out of the situation.”
“The bullet that Mr. Allison fired went into the right side rear passenger door and struck a 5-year-old girl in the right leg,” said Leeper.
5-Year-Old Girl Shot First, Prompting Her Father To Return Fire, Empty Clip At Other Vehicle, Cops Say
Hale told responding officers that “he heard a loud pop, but thought nothing off it until everyone started freaking out in the back seat.”
“He then realized his daughter was shot,” the sheriff said.
Hale then allegedly “sped up” and “began firing several shots from his Glock 43 9mm semi-automatic handgun out of the driver window,” the sheriff added.
He eventually admitted that “he shout everything that was in the magazine – seven or right rounds.”
Both Fathers Arrested, Charged With Second-Degree Attempted Murder, And Released Hours Later On Bond
“At least three bullets struck the Nissan. One of the bullets went through the rear of the vehicle and struck a 14-year-old girl in the back,” he said.
Meanwhile, both men’s wives were calling 911, where they agreed to pull over and meet with a police officer, according to court documents.
When they did pull over, both men “got out and started arguing and fighting. The deputy had to break up the fight,” Leeper said.
Both men were arrested and charged with second-degree attempted murder, and were each released hours later on $150,000 bond, court records show
