On February 8th, 2026, deputies in Walton County, Florida, arrested 33-year-old Blackie Alvarez after a reported road rage confrontation with other drivers. The arrest report describes guns, blocked traffic, and metal knuckles, but the case file leaves major questions about what led up to the encounter.
TLDR
Deputies in Walton County, Florida, arrested 33-year-old Blackie Alvarez on February 8th, 2026, after motorists reported that a man in a white SUV pointed a handgun at them on U.S. 331. He now faces seven felony charges and remains held on a high bond.
Arrest on a North Florida Highway
According to an arrest account from Walton County, deputies were dispatched around 1 p.m. to U.S. 331 in DeFuniak Springs after callers reported that a man in a white Ford Explorer was pointing a firearm at other drivers while heading north on the busy corridor.
Deputies located the SUV and identified the driver as Alvarez, who lives in Bonifay, a small city northwest of DeFuniak Springs. When officers approached, the report states that Alvarez stepped out, removed a black handgun from his waistband, and placed it on top of the vehicle.
NEW: Florida man wanted for unpaid child support is arrested after pointing a gun at another driver during a road rage incident
Blackie Alvarez, 34, was arrested after allegedly chasing a vehicle, cutting it off, and pointing a gun at the occupants
Authorities said Alvarez… pic.twitter.com/tbzTJC4RLl
— Unlimited L’s (@unlimited_ls) February 11, 2026
A search located two metal knuckles in his pockets, adding another weapon concern to what had begun as a report of dangerous driving. The vehicle stop and recovery of the handgun formed the backbone of the case that would quickly move from the roadside to the courthouse.
Alleged Road Rage and Felony Counts
Investigators wrote that Alvarez had begun speeding and honking at another vehicle before maneuvering around it and then coming to a complete stop in front of it on U.S. 331. The motorists involved told deputies that Alvarez then pulled out a firearm and pointed it at them.
Based on that account, deputies accused Alvarez of trapping the victims in traffic and using a gun to escalate a traffic dispute into a criminal incident. Prosecutors charged him with two counts of false imprisonment and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, all felonies under Florida law.
False imprisonment charges often arise when someone is alleged to have intentionally confined another person without legal authority. In the context of a roadway, blocking a vehicle from leaving can be treated as a form of confinement, especially when combined with threats involving a weapon.
Aggravated assault with a deadly weapon is typically charged when a person is accused of threatening violence while armed with a firearm or other deadly instrument. Even without a gunshot, pointing a weapon at someone can satisfy the elements if prosecutors believe the target reasonably feared imminent harm.
Firearms, Prior Record, and Concealed Weapons
The case did not stop with the confrontation itself. Court records show that Alvarez was also charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, a separate felony that indicates he was already prohibited by law from having a gun.
Felon in possession charges significantly raise the stakes in any incident involving a weapon. In Florida, that offense is treated as a serious felony, and a conviction can lead to a lengthy prison term, especially when combined with other violent or weapons-related counts.
Deputies further accused Alvarez of two counts of unlawful carry of a concealed weapon, tied to the handgun and the metal knuckles found in his pockets. He was also cited for driving without a license, a nonviolent offense that nonetheless reflects separate legal problems beyond the alleged road rage confrontation.
The total picture is a case in which a single highway dispute generated multiple overlapping felony allegations. Each charge carries its own elements, potential penalties, and evidentiary requirements, which the state will have to prove in court if Alvarez contests them.
Silence, Warrants, and Bond
After his arrest, Alvarez declined to speak with investigators, according to the arrest account. That choice is protected by the constitutional right to remain silent, but it also means that, at this stage, the public record consists largely of officers’ reports and the victims’ descriptions of what happened on the roadway.
Deputies also discovered that Alvarez had an outstanding warrant in Bay County, Florida, for failure to pay child support. That warrant was not directly related to the alleged road rage incident, but it added another legal obligation to an already complicated situation.
Authorities booked Alvarez into local custody and set his bond at $235,000. Bond is meant to balance the presumption of innocence with concerns about public safety and the risk that a defendant might fail to appear in court. A bond at that level suggests that officials viewed the alleged conduct and his record as substantial risk factors.
There is no public indication in the available records of whether Alvarez has been able to post bond, whether he has retained or been appointed counsel, or how he plans to plead to the charges.
Road Rage as a Criminal Matter
The case in DeFuniak Springs fits into a broader pattern in which traffic conflicts escalate far beyond minor infractions. What begins as speeding, tailgating, or honking can quickly become a criminal matter once a weapon is displayed or another driver is prevented from leaving.
Florida, like many states, has seen repeated incidents in which disputes on highways or at intersections have led to brandished guns, assaults, and even homicides. Law enforcement officials have frequently urged drivers to avoid engaging with aggressive motorists, noting that a decision to confront another driver can carry legal and physical consequences that last far longer than the initial frustration.
In this case, the allegations involve no reported injuries, but that does not lessen the potential penalties. A weapon-focused felony record can follow a defendant for years, affecting employment, housing, and future interactions with the criminal justice system.
What Remains Unclear
The public record in the Alvarez case is still thin. The available accounts do not describe what started the dispute, whether any of the vehicles had passengers beyond the reported victims, whether the handgun was loaded, or whether any dash cameras or surveillance cameras captured the encounter on U.S. 331.
It is also not yet clear how prosecutors will sequence the multiple counts, or whether plea discussions will focus on some charges more than others. In many road rage cases, outcomes hinge on credibility assessments, corroborating evidence, and any available video that can confirm or contradict the statements of those involved.
For now, Alvarez stands accused, not convicted. He faces allegations of false imprisonment, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, firearm possession as a convicted felon, unlawful concealment of weapons, and driving without a license, along with a separate child support warrant. The next significant developments will come from formal court hearings, where attorneys and a judge will begin to test the strength of the evidence behind the roadside account.
