A Gainesville man drove away in an orange-gold car after he struck a cyclist in a fit of road rage Tuesday afternoon.
Rafael Ferrer-Barbot, 34, was riding down Southwest 20th Avenue when he was sent flying off his bike and onto the grass, said Lt. Stephen Maynard, spokesman for the Alachua County Sheriff's Office.
Ferrer-Barbot was mildly injured with scrapes and bruises. He was conscious, alert and talking when police arrived, Maynard said.
Earlier that day, Ferrer-Barbot and the driver, Felix Rodriguez, 26, had argued in the parking lot at Lil' Champ Food Store on Southwest 20th Avenue, witnesses told police.
Rodriguez accused a group of cyclists, including Ferrer-Barbot, of scratching his car with their bikes.
Maynard said police could not determine whether Rodriguez's car had actually been scratched.
"But it's not relevant to the investigation," he said. "A car scratch does not give grounds to run somebody over."
A patrolling deputy found Rodriguez's car two hours after the incident. It was parked in front of his apartment on Southwest Eighth Avenue.
He was arrested and charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
