Man arrested after road rage incident

MANATEE A 24-year-old Manatee man was arrested Wednesday after a alleged road rage incident, the sheriff’s office reports.

The incident occurred at about 5 p.m. while the victim was driving with her 4-year-old daughter in the vehicle.

Matthew Britten began to tailgate her on 301 Boulevard East, according to an arrest report said.

 The victim threw her hands in the air and Britten responded with an obscene gesture, the report said. The victim then managed to get out of the way of Britten’s vehicle and jotted down his tag number.

The vehicles then were side-by-side at a red light when Britten pulled out a silver handgun, according to the report, pointed at the victim and cursed after she told him she had her child in the vehicle.

 Out of fear, the victim pulled into a gas station and called 911, the report said.

Britten was later located and after being read his rights stated that the female driver was the one with road rage and alleged that she followed him, the report said.

 He went on to say he pointed the gun at the woman because “she was acting crazy,” the report said, and he was in fear she was going to do something to him.

Britten was charged with aggravated assault with a firearm and was released on a $10,000 bond Friday.