Hernando County deputies arrested a man after pointing a shotgun at two Spring Hill veterans, then threatening to kill multiple law enforcement officers.
Deputies responded Saturday afternoon to the area of Spring Hill Drive and Mariner Boulevard regarding a possible road rage incident.
"Scared," said Paul Harter. "I served in the military, but anytime somebody points a weapon at you, you got to figure they're gonna pull the trigger."
Military pride runs deep for Harter, a U.S. Navy veteran who served for more than two decades.
From a specialized license plate, to multiple military decals on his truck, Harter doesn't shy away from displaying his service in the armed forces.
"People come by next to me in the vehicle and honk their horn and give a thumbs up," said Harter.
But Saturday Harter says those patriotic symbols produced a darker reaction from a man inside a car one lane over.
"He pulled a shotgun and pointed it straight at me and said 'don't you do it, I'm going to take you out!' Then he said he was going to take my family out," said passenger Mark Thomas, a U.S. Army veteran.
The two veterans immediately called for help from the intersection. When deputies responded, they say Adam Goodman threatened to kill them and their families, pointing his shotgun at several responding deputies.
The Hernando County Sheriff's Office reports, Goodman tried running over one deputy during a short chase, before stop sticks were used to slow him down.
"Who does he call when he has trouble? He calls a deputy," said Thomas. "And now he's out there trying to kill a deputy. It is something that is incomprehensible to me."
Goodman later told deputies that he carried the shotgun with him for protection because he thought the federal government was after him.
It was a fit of road rage both veterans say won't keep them from proudly displaying their military service.
"I think veterans are, in many ways, a large part of the backbone of this nation," said Harter.
Goodman is in jail facing several charges including three counts of aggravated assault and three counts of assault on law enforcement officer.
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