A Georgia woman accused of shooting at vehicles on a Florida highway on Monday claims God told her to do so because of the solar eclipse, authorities said.
Taylon Nichelle Celestine, 22, checked into a local Florida hotel and told the staff she was going on a shooting spree because she had been “directed by ‘God’ in relation to the solar eclipse,” the Florida Highway Patrol said in a news release. Hotel employees then contacted authorities.
Celestine reportedly got onto Interstate 10 at the 112-mile mark in the Florida panhandle, heading westbound in a purple Dodge Challenger.
Within five miles of entering the highway, she fired into another vehicle traveling along I-10, “striking the passing car multiple times,” authorities said.
The victim, a male driver, was struck by broken window glass and grazed on the arm by a bullet. He managed to move onto the shoulder of the road and got away.
The suspect continued on I-10 and allegedly shot at another vehicle near the 107-mile marker.
That driver was hit in the neck and later taken to a nearby hospital, authorities said. The victim’s condition was not immediately known.
Celestine later headed toward a rest area near the 96-mile maker.
When she attempted to get back on the highway, state troopers initiated a traffic stop and pulled her over, according to the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office.
She was taken into custody without incident and booked into Holmes County Jail.
An AR-15 rifle and a 9mm handgun were found inside the vehicle, the highway patrol said.
Celestine was charged with attempted murder, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and improper discharge of a firearm.
