JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A video appears to show a fight in the middle of a busy road in Arlington.
It happened Monday while traffic was heavy in both directions of Atlantic Boulevard near the intersection of Monument Road.
The woman who recorded the video told News4Jax that she was trying to prevent her child from witnessing the incident. In the cellphone video, her young daughter can be heard singing inside the car while an argument between two men turned physical outside the vehicle.
It's unclear what prompted the men to get out of their vehicles on Atlantic Boulevard and start arguing, but the video appears to show one man punching the other man.
News4Jax crime and safety expert Ken Jefferson watched the video and said it appeared to be a case of road rage.
“What alarms me about is that it escalated to the point where it got physical. Fortunately, it didn’t get physical to the point where someone introduced a weapon," Jefferson said. "It could have been very bad for the person who was hit because, had he fallen, even though the traffic is moving slowly, a car could have run over him.”
After the punch, more words were exchanged and then the video shows the men going back to their vehicles after the light turned green.
Jefferson said the video is a good example of what not to do when tempers begin to flare on the roadway.
“You have to remember that you don’t want to get into a potential situation with someone, so stay in your car," Jefferson said. “You stand to either lose your life, freedom or get seriously hurt if you start getting out of cars and confronting people.”
Jefferson said if it’s a situation involving a fender bender, the best thing to do is pull off to the side of the road and call police. He said if the other driver is yelling at you or acting aggressive, you should call 911 and tell them an officer needs to quickly get to your location to help de-escalate the situation.