On October 23, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office received a call about a man threatening workers of a stormwater inspection and maintenance company with a machete near the intersection of Belle Terre Parkway and Kaywood Place in Palm Coast.
When deputies arrived, the workers told them the man, later identified as Miguel Rodriguez, 43, of Palm Coast, was upset because they blocked the road temporarily while backing one of their vehicles up and didn’t have signs posted. Contrary to this claim, deputies did notice several signs posted about workers present along the roadway.
The workers told deputies Rodriguez drove around their worksite, then stopped his truck and got out of the truck yelling, “I’m going to chop some bitches up,” while walking towards them with a machete. One of the workers said he feared for his life and ran to a wooded area to avoid Rodriguez. The crew claimed that Rodriguez got back into his truck and sped off after seeing traffic starting to back up along the road.
Deputies located Rodriguez approximately 3 miles away on Zerington Court. When questioned, Rodriguez admitted to having several machetes in his truck, and deputies observed a machete on the dashboard. Rodriguez told deputies he was stopped by “some guys,” and he was upset that there were no signs, so he got out of his truck and started arguing with them.
Rodriguez was arrested for Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon without Intent to Kill. While being transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility, Rodriguez began banging his head on the partition, causing a small gash. He was taken to the hospital, where he refused medical treatment. He was then taken to the SPHIDF, where he was later released on bond.
Miguel Rodriguez (Flagler Co. Jail Mugshot)
“This man threatened several workers with a machete because he was inconvenienced,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “This guy became unhinged when he exited and confronted the workers just doing their jobs. If he had waited patiently, he would not have visited the Green Roof Inn. Take a deep and be patient. That’s better than getting arrested because you couldn’t control your anger.”
Watch the video of the arrest here: https://bit.ly/48Bm3VT (warning explicit language)