Bryant E. Stanley, 50, was booked at the Flagler County jail overnight on a felony aggravated assault charge stemming from an apparent road rage incident on State Road 100, where he is alleged to have pointed a gun at another driver on Tuesday.
It is the second such incident in nine days in Palm Coast. Stanley, of 36 Lema Lane in Palm Coast, was driving a Ford Fiesta sedan, traveling westbound on State Road 100, after turning from Seminole Woods Boulevard.
The alleged victim was driving a white pickup truck with a trailer, and had made a turn from Colbert Lane onto State Road 100. He was on the phone with a young driver behind him. They were traveling together. The older driver told the younger one to get in front of him. The young driver passed the white pickup truck, and when it did so, the driver of the white pickup signaled with his hand out the window that it was safe for the younger driver to shift into the lane.
“As soon as there was a gap between the vehicles and before he could switch lanes, [Stanley’s ] Ford sedan swerved into his lane,” the report states. Stanley “then pointed a black firearm at him through the passenger window of his vehicle.” The driver slammed his brakes at the sight of the gun, fearing for his life. The alleged victim was able to take a cell phone picture of Stanley’s license plate.
Deputies located Stanley as he drove in the area of Palm Coast Parkway and Boulder Rock Road, and executed a felony stop, since they had been told of his alleged use of a gun in an assaultive way.
Stanley told deputies that he’d driven to Olive Garden to pick up food before driving back to his father’s residence. Driving home, he said he was being followed by what he described as a truck with a suspension lean that had cut him off on the roadway. Stanley said he felt threatened by the truck. According to his arrest report, Stanley conceded that he pointed his handgun at the driver of the truck.
Bot the alleged victim and a witness, on seeing Stanley, confirmed that he had been the one pointing the gun at them.
After Stanley’s arrest, deputies’ inventory of his vehicle, before it was towed, produced a black handgun between the driver’s seat and the center console. “Due to the vehicle being used in the commission of a felony, a forfeiture packet was completed in reference to seizing the vehicle,” the arrest report states. If such a forfeiture is approved by a court, the vehicle will become the property of the Sheriff’s office, and may be sold.
Stanley was released on $50,000 bond.
On May 27, Terry Vetsch, 60, of 24 Wood Ash Lane in Palm Coast, was arrested on a similar charge–aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a third degree felony–after his own Ring surveillance video captured him pointing a gun at his neighbor’s head. He did so only because the neighbor’s friend happened to have briefly used Vetsch’s driveway in a parking maneuver, to back up onto his friend’s own. Vetsch is out on $50,000 bond. He has been ordered by the court to have no contact with the victim. (An earlier version of this article incorrectly reported that he was not ordered to turn in his firearms. He was.)
“Road rage will only lead you to jail, especially if there’s a gun involved,” said Sheriff Rick Staly in a release. “Irresponsible and angry drivers have no place in Flagler County. Hopefully he will take our anger management course in the jail or be required to by the court.”
Atwp says
Thank God no one was hurt or killed. Yes white people as a Black Man I will ask if he were Black would he be alive today? I ask that question now because the way the Repubs are acting, me as a Black Man will probably be jailed or hanged because I’m asking a question about white cops.
Wow says
Meanwhile Florida politicians are keeping us safe from people using the “wrong” bathroom.
Jimbo99 says
Gonna be an interesting summer of 2023 in Flagler County ? There was the fire hydrant guy, now the Olive Garden dude.
Just a question though, at what point is this something that City Planners & the growth of the county get some of the credit for overutilized & crowded roads ? Before the 10% growth in Palm Coast the parkways were full of tailgaters bumper to bumper during peak traffic. Can’t imagine the genius of approving more residential construction and not realizing the infrastructure won’t handle that traffic load without it becoming a school zone from end to end or side to side of the county. Only natural to expect some road rage with the smartphone distracted driving that goes on ? Combine that with the “2 fast, 2 furious” motorists and the less intelligent one’s are going to make the news every time.
Bob Ziolkowski says
If someone thinks this is happening too much now wait until July 1st arrives.
Shark says
Thanks to deathsantis and the nra’s ownership of him and the republican party !!!!!
Robert Joseph Fortier says
What foolishness.
This is why I don’t live in New Your…I mean Palm Coast.
Joe D says
These gun incidents for minor disagreements are completely out of control!
Just wait until almost every adult in Florida can own a gun (even an automatic weapon) without a permit, without a mandatory background check and without mandatory gun safety training…. These kind of incidents will be DAILY routine occurrences.
People are short tempered enough as it is….now they can grab a loaded weapon in a few seconds without any forethought.
Geezer says
If you elect to carry a gun, then you must pledge to put up and shut up.
Arguments or perceived insults to your manhood which you can choose to shrug off
can ultimately lead to a struggle where you’ll lose the gun or worse yet, use it as deadly force.
LEAVE THE MACHISMO AT HOME WHEN CARRYING. ALWAYS…
A gun is strictly to halt the clear threat of death or severe bodily injury.
It should be treated as emergency equipment only.
Guns are not to be used as leverage in an argument.
This isn’t a case of “Stand Your Ground.”
Lawyers and defense will bankrupt you, and the daily wearing of orange can get annoying.
Was it worth it?
Mr. Stanley’s mug photo will now live on the internet in perpetuity.
Skibum says
The gov and his puppets in the gerrymandered FL legislature were not the first ones to have enacted spurious and dangerous laws in the U.S. that have made it more common for idiots to use guns as their first choice for responding to perceived slights. No, this national disgrace has been happening in other red states as well. But here in FL, the republicons have notched it up to where guns of all sorts are like very addictive fentanyl and they just cannot get enough of them, so they keep trying to make it even easier for the idiots in society to possess, use, and threaten others with guns in what seem like daily occurrences. You think someone has pulled in front of your car? Don’t waste your time honking at them, point a gun out the car window and threaten to shoot the son of a b**ch dead in the street! Involved in a neighbor dispute? You don’t have to actually have a conversation with anyone, just yell some cuss words at the neighbor and go back inside until they bang on your front door, and then shoot them dead through your locked door because you were “in fear of your life” and are “standing your ground, by God!” Thank the Lord for all conservative, gun-loving republicons giving FL citizens the protection of misters Smith and Wesson, especially without the burden of needing a concealed carry license, any firearms training, or even possessing half of a brain cell. Now, y’all go out and have a nice day. But be very, very careful out there that you don’t accidentally piss some anonymous jerk off somehow because it could very well be your last day alive here in the gun shine state.
Pat Stote says
These guys are all too quick to draw their guns.
He will now forfeit his truck, so was it worth it?
Michael Corleone says
Wow. Ever since I saw this guy working at Blockbuster way back when, he kinda skeeved me out. Very into following ridiculous orders, woulda made an especially horrifying Nazi. Hopefully he won’t be able to hurt anyone in the near future! Stay safe everyone!
Joseph Barand says
Certainly one way to get Conservatives and Evangelists from voting, lock them up and confiscate, cars, guns and no early release.
The dude says
The problem isn’t conservatives and evangelicals voting per se… but rather that their voting patterns are antithetical to everything they’ve told us they are, and what they’ve screeched at us that we have to be over the last couple of decades.
They are not for “ law and order” or “I am my brothers keeper” or “love thy neighbor” or “do unto others…” et al…
None of these are part of the modern day evangelical or conservative’s vernacular.
Bill says
Do a survey into all these road rages and see how many are retired LEO’s , I be willing to bet none. These individuals who were never into any occupation that they were required to carry a firearm for their work do not know the law pertaining to a CCW. The mere showing of the weapon to another individual during any confrontation is a violation of the law. Too many idiots out there have no training in the law or the consequences of showing the weapon while you’re in altercation. The one incident that always comes to my mind is the one that involve the kids doing their Pokeman thing over in the P section and the owner of the house comes out sees a car pulling away from his house and starts shooting at the car. Carry a weapon every day for your job for 25 years and then when you retire, you have no desire to put a weapon on or even have it in your car. These people who show their weapons want to be somebody big and important. Now you have legal fees a criminal arrest record. Your pictures blasted all over the place and you will be forever more as an idiot.
Bill says
I agree with you 100% after living here for 20 years back in 2003. It was a beautiful city now I can’t wait to get out. I just don’t know where yet if I got 1520 more years of life I don’t wanna spend it here, the city of Palm Coast has turned into a money making operation between the realtors, the builders and the politicians
Robert Joseph Fortier says
So you see everything as a race issue? I could care less what color a persons skin is, but their character and kindness DO make a difference. THAT is how one should be judged.
Robert Joseph Fortier says
So you hate half of the county I see. Life is short so you may wish to calm down and see where you can help others in life…you know…”life”…that fleeting experience that we should be grateful for???
Robert Joseph Fortier says
I agree. When I carry, I carry like I am not carrying, if you know what I mean.
My little friend is by my side should I be in a. situation where my life is threatened, or someone else’s near me.
Real men don’t show off their guns…
Robert Joseph Fortier says
So am I we to assume that you do not have a pistol for home protection if needed? Not a very smart move, but each to their own.
I am an extremely responsible gun owner and military veteran from the Vietnam era.
The little pistol I carry, not for anyone else to see, may very well save someone’s life at some point.
Point is…stop judging people that you don’t have enough information on to make a judgement.
Also, open up your mind a bit and realize that as people, we are all different, and sane Republicans, as I assume sane Democrats, are the majority. Have a nice day and try and cam down.
Skibum says
I am retired law enforcement, so make your own conclusion as to whether or not I have myself, my family and home protected. Stop making judgements on issues like this? Sir, I spent 29 years dealing with all types of crimes and making arrests of idiots with no common sense, so I believe I have a fair bit of life experience with this issue. How about you? Certainly having a weapon is allowed to protect your life or the life of another. That is NOT what happened here, and was a very bad day for this idiot driver. A gun should NEVER ever be a person’s first option in a situation like this bumbling, now incarcerated idiot chose to do. If you are defending this idiot, that speaks volumes about why you should not be packing a gun out on the street! I would recommend a little reflection on your part before making comments in agreement with the criminal elements who end up on the receiving end of handcuffs and a cot in our local green roof inn. The only defense they need is a attorney for their upcoming court case.
Skibum says
You are absolutely 100% correct. After nearly 30 years in law enforcement out on the west coast and having been in 2 on-duty shootings myself early in my career, I anticipated that I would be carrying a weapon on my person for the rest of my life after retirement, but that is not how it has panned out. I do carry from time to time depending on the circumstances and in particular where I go here in FL, but day-to-day here in Palm Coast is a different story. I am very grateful that I do live in an area where I feel safe, although I always keep my eyes and ears on alert and try to sit with my back against a wall when possible at restaurants. Just an old habit that is hard to break after that many years.