Two men have been charged with attempted murder after shooting each other's daughters during a recent road rage incident in Florida, authorities say.
The shootings happened October 8th as Florida resident Frank Allison and William Hale, a visitor from Georgia, were driving with their families in separate vehicles on U.S. Highway 1 in Nassau County about 20 miles northwest of Jacksonville.
Witnesses told police that an unknown incident prompted the men to engage in a "cat and mouse" chase, with one driver pulling ahead of the other before stepping on his brakes, Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper said during a news conference.
At one point, someone in Hale's car threw a water bottle at Allison's vehicle. Allison told police that prompted him to grab his gun and fire one shot in an effort to "get out of the whole situation." The bullet struck Hale's 5-year-old daughter in the leg.
Hale, realizing his daughter had been shot, responded by grabbing his own firearm and unloading "everything that was in the clip" at Allison's vehicle, Leeper said. Allison's 14-year-old daughter was hit in the back and suffered a collapsed lung.
"What's scarier than one crazy driver with a gun?" Leeper asked rhetorically. "Two crazy drivers with a gun."
Both men eventually stopped after spotting a sheriff's patrol car along the road.
"The two drivers got out and started arguing and fighting with each other," Leeper said. "The deputy had to break up the fight."
First responders were called to the scene and transported the girls to the hospital as their fathers were arrested. Both are expected to recover.
"Thankfully no one was killed in this incident, but it could have been easily turned out that way, because two people were acting stupid and let their tempers get the best of them," Leeper said. "It could have been two dead kids because of two stupid grown men."
Allison, 43, and Hale, 36, were booked into the Nassau County Jail on a charge of second-degree attempted murder. Both have since been released on bond.
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