Central Florida dad charged in road rage incident that set off ‘code red’ lockdown at nearby school

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. — A father of four has been banned from dropping off and picking up his kids from an Altamonte Springs elementary school.

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Investigators say witnesses reported seeing 41-year-old Vincent Rosa with a firearm on school grounds at Forest City Elementary School after he was involved in a road rage incident with another parent on the way to the school.

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The incident forced the school to be placed on “code red” status, wherein all faculty and students have to retreat back into the school for their own safety.

According to the Altamonte Springs Police Department, Rosa was already “irate” when he was contacted by a school resource office assisting with dismissal at the school Tuesday afternoon.

The victim told officers he was driving on Jamestown Blvd. on the way to the school and preparing to turn onto State Road 434, but stopped when the “no turn on red” signal activated.

According to police, the victim said he could see Rosa in his rearview mirror appear to get upset and begin yelling in his vehicle.

The victim said as he began to turn into the school, he saw Rosa holding what appeared to be a gun, making the victim fear for his life.

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Police say the victim immediately told a school faculty member near the bus loop about the incident- leading to the “code red” as a precaution. The faculty member then reported it to the School Resource Officer.

After several attempts, police say officers at the school eventually got Rosa to admit he had a gun on him, and had to be asked multiple times to get out of his car before complying.

In Rosa’s car, police say they found a .40 caliber handgun tucked between the driver’s seat and the center console in a hardcover sleeve. The officers noted the gun didn’t have a bullet in the chamber but did have 14 bullets in its magazine.

Police noted Rosa continued to act in a “verbally belligerent and irate” way towards officers as they placed him into handcuffs.

The arresting officers noted that on the way to the jail, Rosa said “If I knew I was going to be arrested, I would’ve shot him twice,” referring to the victim.

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Rosa is being held in the Seminole County jail on $10,000 bond on charges of possession of firearm on school property and aggravated assault with intent to commit a felony.

In addition to being banned from school property, Rosa must also wear a GPS monitor and possess no firearms if he bonds out of jail.

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