Uber driver Robert Westlake shot and killed a man in Florida on Tuesday — but he’s claiming self-defense and Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd is backing him up, 100 percent.
“This is a justifiable homicide all day long. You have the right protect yourself,” Judd said, according to CNN. “This was the intent of the law.”
Westlake was driving an intoxicated person home from a local bar when another driver tried to run him off the road, cut him off, and then got out of his truck and walked toward him.
Westlake’s dash cam caught the whole exchange.
WATCH:
Jason Boek, the driver of the truck, had followed Westlake from the bar because he believed that his girlfriend (with whom he had argued earlier) was in the vehicle. He made threats as he approached Westlake’s car, yelling, “You know I got a pistol? You want me to f****** shoot you?”
Westlake, a legal concealed carry permit holder who had just completed training at the police academy, drew his own weapon and fired when he saw Boek reach for his belt. He fired one shot, and Boek went down. Westlake immediately applied pressure to the wound and called 911, but Boek later died from his injuries.
Westlake told reporters that he felt guilty, but that he took the shot because in the moment, he asked himself, “who will take care of my family?”
#EXCLUSIVE @Uber driver that shot and killed another man in self defense said he is filled with guilt. The father of 3 with a baby on the way said when the man threatened him with a gun he thought “who is going to take care of my family?” @abcactionnews pic.twitter.com/g5KAg3uuZo
— Michael Paluska (@MichaelPaluska) August 31, 2018
He offered condolences to Boek’s family in a text message sent to CNN.
Sheriff Judd called the case “textbook,” and said that no charges would be filed against Westlake. He also issued a stern warning to anyone else who might be tempted to act in the manner that Boek had: “Good people carry guns, and they will shoot you. A lot. Graveyard dead.”
#Shooting starts w an ex-con drinking at a bar…w his ex. Ends when an @uber driver kills him. Video/Texts show confrontation. #Florida Sheriff: “To hotheads-Good people carry guns & they will shoot you…graveyard dead.” Meth & pot in dead man’s car. Ex NOT in #Uber. #KHOU11 pic.twitter.com/JhEKqHATIY
— Shern-Min Chow (@ShernMinKHOU) August 30, 2018
Follow Virginia on Twitter