Thomas Vincent Yanoti has been adjudicated guilty and sentenced to 15 years in prison, followed by 10 years of probation, for a shooting on I-75.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorney Sarah Woodward.
On June 22, 2022, the Collier County Sheriff’s Office and Florida Highway Patrol, responded to reports of a shooting on the Exit 111 I-75 northbound on-ramp. A Mercedes Benz SUV was parked on the righthand shoulder, next to a guardrail, with multiple bullet holes through the front windshield. One bullet hole was observed in the headrest of the driver’s seat. The back window of the vehicle was shattered except for a small portion which had a visible bullet hole.
The investigation revealed that the driver of the Mercedes passed a vehicle as it merged onto the onramp. As he passed, he felt an impact to his rear bumper and began to pull over, believing there had been a minor fender bender. That car then pulled directly in front of his vehicle, the driver, dressed in a camo shirt and shorts, got out and started shooting into the SUV.
The victim laid down sideways towards the passenger’s seat to try to avoid being hit. The shooting stopped, so the victim sat up, but then the shooting continued. The victim was not directly hit by the bullets but did suffer lacerations due to the windshield glass spraying into the vehicle.
Witnesses to the shooting, who happened to be driving by, were able to get the vehicle tag of the shooter. It was traced to a residence in Cape Coral. The Cape Coral Police Department conducted surveillance and the vehicle identified in the shooting arrived at the home three hours after the incident.
The defendant was driving, still wearing the camo outfit, and was positively identified as the shooter.
Samantha Syoen – Communications Director, State Attorney’s Office