43-year-old Miguel Rodriguez was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly threatening stormwater inspection and maintenance workers with a machete in Palm Coast, according to a release from the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office. Rodriguez was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill, and booked into the county jail on $5,000 bond. He bonded out on Thursday.
The incident reportedly began when, according to Rodriguez, the workers temporarily blocked a road with one of their vehicles with no signage posted alerting residents of the inconvenience. The FCSO countered this by saying they observed multiple signs posted informing motorists of workers present in the area.
The workers told FCSO deputies that Rodriguez drove past the worksite then parked his truck and climbed out. He’s then accused of walking toward the workers with a machete in his hand and saying, “I’m going to chop some b*tches up”. One worker ran into the woods to hide from Rodriguez. After this alleged threat, Rodriguez is said to have gotten back in his truck and drove off.
Deputies found Rodriguez around three miles from the scene of the incident, on Zerington Court in Palm Coast’s Z Section. He told deputies he did have several machetes on-hand, with one situated on his dashboard. What the workers said made them fear for their lives was described by Rodriguez as an argument about the lack of signs in the area. He also apparently told deputies that the workers were the ones who stopped him.
Despite this account of things, Rodriguez was arrested and taken into a patrol car to be booked into the county jail. While in the car, deputies say he began to thrash around and slam his head into the partition that separates him from the deputies. This action apparently caused a wound to his forehead, which is visible in Rodriguez’s mugshot. Before being booked he was taken to the hospital for his injury. According to deputies, he refused treatment.
“This man threatened several workers with a machete because he was inconvenienced,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “This guy became unhinged when he got out and confronted the workers just doing their jobs. If he had waited patiently, he would not have visited the [county jail]. Take a deep [breath] and be patient. That’s better than getting arrested because you couldn’t control your anger.”
The full video of the arrest was made available by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office. Be advised of explicit language.
