Man Accused Of Shooting AR-15 Rifle At Cows
A man has been arrested after allegedly shooting at cows along the Florida Turnpike on Saturday, said the Florida Highway Patrol.
An arrest report said, FHP troopers got a call came in at around 5:40 p.m. from a driver that reported a man “hanging out of a car shooting a rifle at cows” near the Osceola Parkway.
The driver reporting the man took down the license plate number and said it was a Hyundai Sonata that the man was in. Within minutes troopers pulled the vehicle over in Orange County and found three people inside the car.
Troopers said Elvis Antonio Artola, 30, first began firing the rifle when the trio pulled over to relieve themselves along the turnpike. The arrest affidavit said he then continued to shoot from a window in the back seat as they drove down the highway.
The records obtained by the Orlando Sentinel said Artola wouldn’t tell troopers what happened. However, the two passengers told them Artola was firing into the woods and out the window as they drove. Troopers located evidence that showed he had been drinking alcohol.
The driver of the vehicle said he wasn’t sure if Artola “was trying to hit the cows on the side of the road or if he was just shooting,” said the arrest report.
During the encounter, troopers found a loaded black Bushmaster AR-15 rifle in the trunk of the vehicle along with evidence that showed it had recently been fired. FHP Sgt. Kim Montes told the Orlando Sentinel that troopers haven’t been notified of any injured cows.
“It’s a good thing this driver called this in and was able to take down the plate number because we were able to get there quickly and prevent this guy from doing this again,” Montes said to the Sentinel.
Artola is facing a number of charges, which includes firing a weapon in public and using a firearm under the influence.
