ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. — A St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office (SLCSO) corrections deputy is facing a charge of burglary with assault or battery following an alleged road rage incident that occurred while he was off duty, police say.
Port St. Lucie Police (PSLPD) said they responded to a residence in Port St. Lucie regarding a fight that had occurred at around 6 p.m. Monday at the 100 block of SW Tulip Road.
The victim, an 18-year-old male, told police he was in the passenger seat of a Chevrolet with an 18-year-old female driver when the vehicle in front of them, a Ford SUV, abruptly applied its brakes and blocked them from being able to continue driving forward.
The driver of the SUV, identified as Corrections Deputy Devin Mills, then exited the vehicle, approached the Chevrolet passenger window where the male was sitting, and said they were driving too close to the rear of his SUV.
When both occupants of the Chevrolet started to record the interaction on their phones, Mills proceeded to reach through the window, grab the man's arms and pull him in an attempt to remove his phone.
“In an apparent attempt to maybe grab one of the phones, and instead grabbed our male victim by the arm, yanking his arm outside of the open window,” stated Sgt. Dominick Mesiti with PSLPD.
PSLPD officers reviewed the cell phone video and located two third-party witnesses whose statements supported the victim's allegations.
Mills was located at his residence and was arrested without incident. Mills faces one count of burglary with an assault or battery for unlawfully entering an occupied vehicle and grabbing the victim by the arms. He was immediately placed on unpaid administrative leave, according to police.
“It’s disappointing anytime a law enforcement officer’s involved in a situation such as this that leads to an arrest," stated Sgt. Mesiti.
SLCSO has opened an administrative investigation as the results for Mills' criminal charges are pending.
This is a developing story, stay with WPTV for updates.
