Road rage leads to stabbing

A 56-year-old man was stabbed in the face — the apparent victim of road rage.

Sarasota County Sheriff's Office deputies say shortly after noon Tuesday, Stephen Berliner was driving east on Bee Ridge Road near McIntosh Road when another driver, 42-year-old Ernest Couvertier, began tailgating him.

Couvertier passed the victim and held a knife up to his rearview mirror. He then stopped in the middle of the road and walked up to Berliner’s car, lunged through the window and stabbed Berliner in the face.

The victim was able to get Couvertier’s license-plate number, and deputies tracked him down at the car dealership where he worked.

After his arrest, Couvertier told deputies: “I didn’t want to stab him, but he kept ramming my car.”

He was charged with aggravated battery. Berliner only suffered a superficial wound.

Contact Robin Roy at [email protected].