
In the early morning hours of Jan. 25, a green car was hit twice by bullets near the intersection of Woodland Boulevard and New York Avenue, the DeLand Police Department said.
According to a press release, the car that was hit was traveling behind a slower-moving red vehicle as they approached the intersection around 1:59 a.m. The red vehicle pulled over into a parking space after being honked at several times from the vehicle that was hit. As they passed the parked car, “the driver of the suspect vehicle extended his hand out of the window and fired multiple rounds,” according to the release.
The passenger of the hit vehicle said the shot went through the back window, passed through his hoodie, and hit the front windshield, according to the charging affidavit of the suspect. The round pierced through the windshields and hoodie, “narrowly missing his head,” according to the DeLand Police.
Both driver and passenger were unharmed.
Law enforcement located a suspect vehicle around 3:38 p.m. that day.
A 22-year-old man from Orlando was taken into custody. A handgun was present in the vehicle “within plain view,” according to the release.
Both traffic cameras and DeLand’s gunshot detection system were used to confirm the reports of the gunshots. A traffic camera showed “a flash” and “sparks emitted” from a hand outside of the parked vehicle.
A search of vehicles near the area by available cameras narrowed the vehicle down to a four-door red Nissan with a license plate number. The vehicle with matching license plate number was then followed by detectives until the car stopped just past a stop sign. A traffic stop was then conducted where a pistol was found.
When arrested, 22-year-old Daniel Duarte explained that when he was followed by a car early in the morning of Jan. 25 after leaving Dixies Gentleman’s Club, he felt threatened and fired four or five shots.
“Duarte advised that maybe it was not the appropriate way to act but nonetheless felt threatened by the vehicle riding close to him and honking its horn,” the charging affidavit reads.
Duarte was released Jan. 26 from custody at the Volusia County Branch Jail on a $60,000 bond.
The press release states that the investigation remains active, and that the incident may have been connected to road rage.
Prior records show Duarte has only had minor traffic citations in Orange and Volusia counties.