A Florida man is heading to state prison after a deadly road rage incident that escalated over a McDonald’s drink. Nicholas Anthony Koontz, 26, was sentenced to 25 years behind bars for killing Timothy P. Andricks during a heated confrontation in west Bradenton on October 12, 2021.
It all started when Koontz and Andricks got into an argument while driving. At some point, Andricks threw his McDonald’s cup, which had ice and soda, at Koontz’s car. Instead of letting it go, Koontz chased Andricks at high speed until they both stopped on a residential street.
According to investigators, when Andricks, who was unarmed, got out of his car and started walking back towards Koontz’s vehicle, Koontz also stepped out. But instead of talking things out, Koontz pulled out a gun and shot Andricks several times, leaving him to collapse on the ground. Andricks tried to head back to his car but never made it.
The shocking incident didn’t go unnoticed. A witness caught the entire shooting on their home’s Ring camera and shared the footage with investigators. The video showed Andricks driving a silver Toyota Camry, speeding toward a stop sign with Koontz closely following in a black SUV. After both cars came to a stop, Andricks exited his car, empty-handed, and walked toward Koontz before being shot.
It didn’t take long for police to track Koontz down. Within an hour of the shooting, they found him at his home, thanks to witnesses who had noted part of his license plate number. When officers arrived, Koontz’s father told them his son had come home looking upset and had moved his black SUV behind a fence to keep it out of sight.
At trial, Koontz claimed self-defense, but prosecutors argued otherwise, emphasizing that Andricks wasn’t armed or threatening him. In April, a jury found Koontz guilty of manslaughter with a firearm. After his sentencing in September, Koontz was officially transferred to the Florida Department of Corrections earlier this week to begin serving his sentence.
What began as a minor dispute over a cup of soda ended in tragedy, leaving one man dead and another facing decades in prison. It’s a chilling reminder of how quickly road rage can spiral out of control, with devastating consequences for everyone involved.
