A Florida Vegenaise road rage arrest has turned an everyday traffic dispute in Estero into one of the stranger cases Lee County deputies have handled lately.
Christine Sweet, 57, was arrested after authorities said she threw a glass jar of vegan mayonnaise into another vehicle during an August road rage confrontation, striking the other driver in the face and leaving her with a cut beneath her eye.
According to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office account reported by FOX 13, Sweet allegedly shouted, “I hit her in the face, go, go, go,” after the jar hit the woman.
Deputies say the vehicle then drove away.
Deputies say confrontation began after a traffic cutoff
The incident happened Aug. 20 as the victim was driving east on Corkscrew Road in the Estero area, according to an arrest report detailed by Gulf Coast News.
Investigators said a white utility van cut in front of the woman’s vehicle near the intersection of Corkscrew Road and Three Oaks Parkway.
The woman honked her horn, and the encounter allegedly escalated from there.
Authorities said Sweet, who was riding in the van, became involved in a heated exchange with the other driver. When the vehicles eventually pulled alongside one another with their windows down, investigators say Sweet threw the glass container.
The victim reported seeing the flash of an arm before suddenly feeling pain in her face. She then discovered the jar inside her vehicle, according to the arrest report.
Deputies said the glass container struck her below the eye and caused a laceration. She sought medical treatment before contacting law enforcement.
Victim reportedly spotted the van weeks later
The case did not end on Corkscrew Road.
Nearly a month later, on Sept. 17, the victim reportedly spotted the same van at San Carlos Plaza along South Tamiami Trail and contacted deputies.
Investigators arrived and made contact with Sweet.
According to Law&Crime’s account of the arrest report and body-camera footage, Sweet acknowledged throwing the jar while speaking with deputies.
The unusual object also prompted a moment of confusion during the encounter. When a deputy asked about the product, Sweet explained, “It’s a vegan version of mayonnaise.”
Deputies arrested Sweet.
She was booked on charges including aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and throwing a missile into an occupied vehicle, according to authorities.
An ordinary road dispute allegedly took a bizarre turn
Florida road rage cases routinely lead to arrests, crashes and, in more serious encounters, gunfire. What separates this case is the object deputies say was used: a glass jar of plant-based mayonnaise sitting inside a vehicle.
But despite the unusual detail, the alleged injury and charges are serious.
Authorities say the jar struck another driver directly in the face hard enough to cut her. The allegation that it was thrown into an occupied vehicle also resulted in a separate felony charge.
The case will now move through the Lee County court system. The charges against Sweet are allegations, and guilt must be established in court.
