An argument quickly escalated into a dangerous encounter over the weekend when a Florida man allegedly accelerated his BMW toward children riding E-Bikes in the street.
The confrontation unfolded on Saturday at an intersection in Ocoee, where investigators say Todd Norwood, 45, deliberately drove his red BMW in the direction of the group, allegedly striking a 13-year-old boy.
Norwood’s wife, 46-year-old Angelique Norwood, who was a passenger in the BMW, was also arrested and accused of battering one of the other children during the altercation.
When police arrived on the scene, they spoke to the group of children who said they had been riding their bikes in the area when a BMW drove by and cut them off, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by WKMG.
The children claimed the passenger, later identified as Angelique Norwood, yelled at them, “Get out of the road, (expletive).” They said the woman then got out of the car and came at them, looking like she wanted “to fight them.”
A 13-year-old boy told police he was trying to cross the street when the BMW struck him before driving off.
“(The boy) said he was able to jump off his bike in time, preventing injury,” according to the affidavit.
The same boy told police that Angelique Norwood grabbed one of his friends as he tried to take pictures of the BMW.
“After letting go… (Norwood) approached a female witness who was recording the incident and repeatedly yelled, ‘Delete the video,’” the affidavit continues. “After a verbal argument, (Norwood) walked away toward her residence to meet her husband.”
Todd Norwood, however, told police that the children had been “driving recklessly” and swerving in and out of the lane while shouting insults at them.
“Angelique exited the vehicle to speak with the juveniles,” the affidavit states. “Todd said the juveniles continued to ride around his vehicle, making him feel threatened, so he decided to drive home.”
“When asked why he left his wife at the scene, he stated that fear clouded his judgment,” according to the affidavit.
When police later reviewed video footage, they determined it showed that the BMW accelerated into the 13-year-old boy as he tried to cross the road on his E-Bike, which was damaged beyond repair.
Norwood was arrested and charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and criminal mischief. His wife, Angelique Norwood, was charged with battery.
