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Man sentenced to 35 years for 2017 Altamonte Springs road rage shooting

Rukshan Goonewardena shot man at red light

Rukshan Goonewardena sentenced to 35 years in prison for attempted murder (Copyright 2021 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.)

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. – A man who shot another driver in the arm during a road rage attack in Altamonte Springs has been sentenced to 35 years in prison.

Court documents show Rukshan Goonewardena was sentenced earlier this week for the attempted second-degree murder charge.

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In March 2017, police said two drivers were on State Road 436 when they almost crashed as one of the drivers was changing lanes. Goonewardena and Sherif Basta exchanged words before Basta was shot in the arm at a red light, according to officers.

Goonewardena took off in his black Chevrolet, but police said they were able to identify him after reviewing surveillance footage.

“If it weren’t for that surveillance video, we probably would have just had that basic description that we got from the witnesses, which was a black four-door vehicle,” Altamonte Springs spokeswoman Evelyn Estevez said.

Once authorities released the surveillance footage in search of him, police said when they found his car it was covered in a tarp.


About the Author
Brenda Argueta headshot

Brenda Argueta is a digital journalist who joined ClickOrlando.com in March 2021. She is the author of the Central Florida Happenings newsletter that goes out every Thursday.

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