Personal Defense Tip: Don’t Throw Cheese at Passing Cars in Florida

I can still remember some of the questions we faced in the police academy decades ago when instructors were teaching deadly force to a classroom full of rookies. The scenarios they presented were difficult and really made you think, while drumming into you the massive badness that could happen if an officer had a “bad shoot.” 

Many of the situations were close calls, and our responses had to be split-second. However, we were never asked whether deadly force would be authorized if a group of high schoolers threw cheese at our vehicle, which is exactly what happened Saturday night in eastern Florida. 

A 67-year-old doctor, Bruce L. Mitchell, fired at least one round from his 9mm SIG handgun and then chased a carload of high school boys at dangerous speeds after the yoots allegedly hit his black Range Rover with a chunk of cheese. 

According to court documents and media reports, the confrontation began just after 5 p.m., when five teenage boys were driving in Ponte Vedra Beach on Florida’s east coast near Jacksonville when one of them tossed a piece of cheese out of the car. The news media didn’t publish the kids’ names because they are minors and weren’t charged with any crime. 

“A black Range Rover, later identified as Mitchell’s vehicle, allegedly began tailing the teens aggressively, swerving across lanes and briefly swerving out of the roadway to get closer to the terrified targets,” The St. John Citizen reported.  “The teens then reported seeing Mitchell brandish a black pistol and yell something at them before squeezing off a round in the air.”

One of the teens later told police he was in fear for his life and the lives of his friends. The kid who was driving definitely was, too. When he saw Mitchell allegedly fire his pistol out his driver’s side window and yell at the youths, the driver hit the gas hard, later telling police he “didn’t want to die.” The teens sped down the highway, weaving in and out of traffic, with Mitchell close behind. One of them called 911 during the chase. 

The 911 call worked. Deputies stopped Mitchell and the doctor was arrested without any use of force. Deputies found his handgun in the glovebox, a loaded magazine on the passenger seat and two live rounds on the floor. 

“They shot at me first,” Mitchell allegedly told the deputies before invoking his right to remain silent. However, deputies searched the teens’ car and didn’t find a weapon. All five youths cooperated with deputies. They each gave a statement and identified Mitchell and his vehicle. None were charged with any crime. 

Mitchell has been charged with two felonies: aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and discharging a firearm from a vehicle. He was released after posting bond. 

“Mitchell lives in Sawgrass with his wife, a Harvard graduate and senior executive at Cox Communications,” the media reported. Mitchell’s work history is impressive. He taught at the Division of Hospital Medicine at Emory, and worked at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida.

The good doctor, however, didn’t return several calls seeking his comments for this story.