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Welcome to the Polk County Sheriff's Office News Room, where the Public Information Officers (PIO's) post all of the information that they release to the news media. PIO's act as liaisons between news media organizations and the Sheriff's Office. The PIO's routinely release timely and accurate information and Crime Stoppers bulletins, and respond to routine and "breaking news" media inquiries. News releases and Crime Stoppers information can be found on this page.
PCSO's full-time Public Information Officers are Carrie Horstman, Brian Bruchey, and Julianna Rivera. The Public Information Officers can be reached by sending an e-mail collectively at PIOs@polksheriff.org.
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May 7, 2026
Lakeland truck driver arrested for road rage attack with a hammer
Media Contact: Brian Bruchey
An armed road rage incident in Winter Haven on Wednesday afternoon, May 6, 2026, resulted in the arrest of a Lakeland man.
PCSO deputies were dispatched to the intersection of Helena Road and Cypress Gardens Boulevard at around 4:48 pm.
When deputies arrived at the scene, they found a man bleeding from the nose. The other person involved had already left the scene.
According to victim and witness statements, the victim was traveling on Cypress Gardens Road when two trucks hauling rocks cut him off.
The victim eventually passed the trucks and entered a turn lane for Helena Road.
While stopped at the light, one of the trucks pulled in front of the victim's vehicle and blocked it from being able to move.
A verbal argument started and one of the truck drivers opened the victim's car door and struck him. That suspect then went back to his truck and retrieved a hammer and repeatedly hit the victim with it.
The suspect reportedly grabbed the victim by the hair, slammed him to the ground, and struck him more.
“The suspect furiously attacked another driver; it was violent and brutal, and left the victim bloodied, with a broken nose. Making the situation worse was that it all happened in front of the victim’s children who were in the vehicle with him.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff.
Detectives contacted the registered owner of the trucks, and the suspect was identified as 39-year-old Jose Antonio Rosa Negron of Lakeland.
Rosa Negron was arrested Thursday morning and booked-in at the Sheriff's Processing Center and charged with: Burglary with Battery (F1), Aggravated Battery with a Deadly Weapon (F2), and False Imprisonment of a Person (F3, 4-counts).