Second update:
A tractor-trailer driver from Miami has been charged for allegedly shooting another big rig driver, a 64-year-old Wisconsin man, Monday morning, Dec. 1, on I-55 in the Barnhart area. The alleged shooter said he believed the other man was connected to a group from Florida that was threatening him and his family, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office reported.
Michel Quintana-Betancourt, 46, has been charged with first-degree assault, a class A felony punishable by 10 to 30 years or life in prison; unlawful use of a weapon, a class B felony that carries a penalty of five to 15 years in prison; and two counts of armed criminal action, each one an unclassified felony punishable by three to 15 years in prison, according to court documents.
He was being held without bond on Tuesday, Dec. 2, at the Jefferson County Jail in Hillsboro, court records show.
The man who reportedly was shot called the Sheriff’s Office at 8:03 a.m. Monday. Deputies quickly located the two tractor-trailers that were stopped on the shoulder of northbound I-55 near the Barnhart exit, Sheriff’s Office spokesman Grant Bissell said.
The alleged victim was shot in the left leg. He was transported to an area hospital with a non-life threatening injury, according to the probable-cause statement in the case.
Quintana-Betancourt was arrested and taken to the Sheriff’s Office in Hillsboro, where he allegedly confessed to shooting the other driver with an AR-15-style gun while they were driving on I-55 between Pevely and Barnhart, the probable-cause statement said.
Quintana-Betancourt told investigators the other driver was boxing him in while they drove through a construction zone on the interstate and was cutting him off. He also said he believed the other driver was part of a conspiracy and a group from Florida that was threatening him and his family, according to the report.
Quintana-Betancourt allegedly said he fired one shot at the other tractor-trailer before pulling over and waiting for police to arrive, the report said.
Detectives reviewed dash camera footage from the alleged victim’s tractor-trailer. Detective Cpl. Kane Harris wrote in the probable-cause statement that “there appeared to be no visible altercation between the drivers, and the victim seemed to be completely caught off guard by the shooting.”
The alleged victim also did not appear to aggressively drive near Quintana-Betancourt before the shooting, according to the report.
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First update:
A tractor-trailer driver from Miami has been charged for allegedly shooting another big rig driver this morning, Dec. 1, on I-55 in the Barnhart area. The alleged shooter said he believed the other man was connected to a group from Florida that was threatening him and his family, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office reported.
Michel Quintana-Betancourt, 46, has been charged with first-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon and two counts of armed criminal action, the Sheriff’s Office announced this evening. He was being held without bond at the Jefferson County Jail in Hillsboro.
The man who reportedly was shot called the Sheriff’s Office at 8:03 a.m. today. Deputies quickly located the two tractor-trailers that were stopped on the shoulder of northbound I-55 near the Barnhart exit, Sheriff’s Office spokesman Grant Bissell said.
The alleged victim was shot in the left leg. He was transported to an area hospital with a non-life threatening injury, according to the probable-cause statement in the case.
The Sheriff’s Office did not provide additional information about the man who was shot.
Quintana-Betancourt was arrested and taken to the Sheriff’s Office in Hillsboro, where he allegedly confessed to shooting the other driver with an AR-15-style gun while they were driving on I-55 between Pevely and Barnhart, the probable-cause statement said.
Quintana-Betancourt told investigators the other driver was boxing him in while they drove through a construction zone on the interstate and was cutting him off. He also said he believed the other driver was part of a conspiracy and a group from Florida that was threatening him and his family, according to the report.
Quintana-Betancourt allegedly said he fired one shot at the other tractor-trailer before pulling over and waiting for police to arrive, the report said.
Detectives reviewed dash camera footage from the alleged victim’s tractor-trailer. Detective Cpl. Kane Harris wrote in the probable-cause statement that “there appeared to be no visible altercation between the drivers, and the victim seemed to be completely caught off guard by the shooting.”
The alleged victim also did not appear to aggressively drive near Quintana-Betancourt before the shooting, according to the report.
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Original story:
A man was transported to an area hospital this morning, Dec. 1, after being shot in a suspected road rage incident in Jefferson County, Sheriff’s Office spokesman Grant Bissell said.
The man’s injury appeared to be non-life threatening, and a person who is suspected of shooting the man was being detained. The man and suspected shooter were in separate tractor-trailers that were traveling northbound on I-55, both stopped near the Hwy. M exit in Barnhart, Bissell said.
He said the Sheriff’s Office was called at 8:03 a.m. by a man who said he had been shot. He said deputies arrived shortly after being called, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol assisted with traffic control.
Bissell said information about the people involved in the incident was not available this morning. He said the Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident.
“We believe this was an isolated incident between two individuals in the respective trucks,” he said. “What took place leading up to cause this is being investigated.”
The Leader will update this story as information becomes available.