A Florida man described as a "habitual traffic offender" was behind bars Tuesday after police said he was seemingly caught on video mowing down a couple on a motorcycle with his car.
Robert Paul Vance, 31, was busted after police tracked him down using the shocking footage that was captured by a witness to the Memorial Day mayhem in Pasco County.
The footage obtained by WFLA, the NBC affiliate in Tampa, showed a silver Pontiac sedan suddenly slamming into a Harley — and knocking two riders to the ground — before taking off.
Now Vance, of Land O'Lakes, Florida, is being held without bond and charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon (the car), leaving the scene of an accident that involved injury, and one count of being a habitual traffic offender.
The couple on the bike — Joseph Philipp Calderazzo and his passenger, Melanie Ann Milinkovich — suffered minor injuries and were treated at the scene.
Witness Abe Garcia told the TV station it happened around 6 p.m. that he pulled out his cell phone after seeing the driver of Pontiac "going crazy" and forcing three motorcyclists off the road.
When the bikers caught up to the car at the intersection of U.S. 41 and County Line Road, they began "exchanging back and forth" with the driver, Garcia said.
"I was like, alright, something's going to go down," he said."I almost witnessed a freaking murder."
Vance is no stranger to trouble. He was convicted in 2011 on a hit and run charge and driving on a suspended license. The next year he was convicted of disorderly conduct and getting into a fight.
He also pleaded guilty to driving while under the influence in 2003 and has a number of drug convictions, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
