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Mar 25, 2025

Road rage suspect charged with attempted murder and other crimes

Media Contact: Brian Bruchey, PIO

An Indian River County man turned himself in to the Polk County Sheriff's Office on March 23, 2025, after a PCSO investigation determined that he had shot a gun during a road rage incident the week before near Lake Wales.

43-year old Mitchell Gens of Fellsmere, Florida was booked in at the Polk County Jail and charged with Attempted 2nd Degree Murder with a Weapon (F1) and Discharging a Firearm from a Vehicle (F2).

The incident occurred Friday, March 21, 2025 at around 11:45 am on State Road 60 near Grape Hammock Road.

The driver of a semi-truck reported that a man, later identified as Gens, shot his truck multiple times; the truck driver was not injured. 

Four bullet holes were found on the semi-truck, and the was disabled from the damage.

The victim showed deputies his dashcam video, and from that a photo was obtained of the suspect's vehicle--a gray Ford F-150 pickup truck with a Punisher decal on the rear window.

Deputies sent the photo to the PCSO's Real Time Crime Center. With that photo, the crime analysts identified the potential suspect vehicle, and a detective identified the possible suspect as 43-year old Mitchell Gens of Fellsmere (Indian River County), Florida. 

A detective made phone contact with Gens, who confirmed that he had been driving on SR 60.  He also said that he fired two shots at the semi because the semi driver tried to run him off the road. Gens also admitted to removing the Punisher decal from his rear window because he knew deputies would be looking for him.

The detective investigating this case noted that the dashcam video from the semi-truck showed Mitchell Gens' pickup truck was passing the semi-truck in a no-passing zone, and the semi-truck never tried running the Ford off the road as Gens claimed.

An arrest warrant was obtained for Mitchell Gens, prompting Gens to turn himself in. 

Mitchell Gens' prior criminal history includes arrests for animal abuse, criminal mischief, DUI, false name to LEO, and driving while license suspended/revoked (3-times).