Florida man arrested for threatening utility workers restoring power after Hurricane Milton

NEW YORK — A man was arrested Wednesday for threatening utility workers who were restoring power in Hillsborough County, Florida, following mass outages caused by Hurricane Milton, according to officials.

Crews were working on a road repair when the man allegedly verbally threatened them and drove his vehicle toward them in an intimidating manner.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office has identified the suspect as 57-year-old Kenneth Ray Velasco.

When the incident occurred, a power line crew was working on a road that was closed for repairs, creating a traffic delay. The man was in his vehicle and grew impatient.

He backed into a utility pole and fence, causing an estimated $1,000 in damage, according to official reports, and then attempted to flee the scene.

When the linemen tried to prevent him from leaving, he drove toward them in a deliberate manner that caused them to jump out of the way and also threatened to shoot them, officials said.

"Linemen have been working tirelessly to restore power after the storm," said Sheriff Chad Chronister. "For this person to threaten their lives and deliberately endanger them, all because of a traffic delay, shows a disturbing lack of regard for the safety of others and the critical work being done."

Velasco was pulled over in a traffic stop and charged with aggravated assault and felony criminal mischief for vandalism of property, according to the sheriff's office.

He was arrested without incident, officials said.

"We're grateful no one was seriously hurt, and this suspect will face the full extent of the law for his egregious crimes," the sheriff said.

As of Wednesday evening, nearly 20,000 residents of Hillsborough County are without power.

The investigation into the incident is ongoing.

ABC News' Victoria Arancio contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.