George Zimmerman Takes the Stand in Road Rage Case

— -- George Zimmerman took the stand today in a trial against Matthew Apperson, a Florida man accused of shooting at him.

Zimmerman described for the court "a loud bang" and said his "ears started ringing" after shots were fired at him.

Apperson is charged with attempted second-degree murder, and authorities say that he shot at Zimmerman during a traffic incident last year.

Zimmerman described driving in the Orlando suburb of Lake Mary when Apperson pulled behind his truck, threatened him and then fired at him.

Apperson had a fixation on Zimmerman, according to a police report.

Zimmerman emerged as a divisive figure when he was a neighborhood watch volunteer in Sanford, Florida, in February 2012 and fatally shot Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black 17-year-old. Zimmerman was acquitted of murder in July 2013.

Martin's shooting and the controversial decision to acquit Zimmerman became a flashpoint in the debate about race relations in America and served as one of the influences in the formation of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Zimmerman has frequently provoked outrage since his acquittal. In 2015 he generated headlines for retweeting an image of Martin's body.

He received intense criticism earlier this year for auctioning off the pistol he used to shoot Martin.