A 68-year-old Ocala man was arrested in a church parking lot after he allegedly swung a metal rod at another man who was waiting for a DoorDash order.
A Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to Queen of Peace Catholic Church (6455 SW Highway 200 in Ocala) at around 11 p.m. on Friday, December 26, in reference to an altercation that had occurred in the parking lot, according to the arrest report.
The deputy noted in the report that the church was closed at the time of the incident.
Upon arrival, the deputy made contact with a male victim who advised that he was waiting for a DoorDash order in the parking lot when another man, identified as RP, approached him and told him to leave, according to the report.
P then allegedly parked his vehicle behind the victim’s vehicle in an attempt to prevent the victim from leaving the parking lot. Moments later, P allegedly exited his vehicle and “charged” at the victim while wielding a “metal stick.”
According to the victim’s statement, P swung the “metal stick” at the victim, almost striking him. P then returned to the vehicle, where he remained until the deputy arrived on-scene.
The report stated that the victim had video footage of the incident, which was recorded on his cellphone. The deputy reviewed this footage and noted that it captured a verbal altercation between P and the victim.
On the footage, P was observed holding a “long shiny metal object,” which he allegedly swung at the victim twice before returning to his vehicle.
In the report, the deputy mentioned that the victim was standing next to his vehicle during the incident and did not appear to be a threat towards P.
The deputy approached P’s vehicle and made contact with him. After being read his Miranda rights, P admitted to keeping a metal rod under a floor mat inside his vehicle. However, he denied grabbing the metal rod or swinging it at the victim during the incident, according to the report.
While looking inside Ps vehicle, the deputy observed a “long shiny metal object” that matched the description of the metal rod allegedly used by P during the incident. The deputy mentioned in the report that the metal rod was approximately 18 inches in length, and it would have “likely cause(d) great bodily harm” to the victim if it had struck him.
Pwas placed under arrest and booked into Marion County Jail, where he remains in custody. His bond has been set at $10,000, and he is being charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill.
Jail records show that P is scheduled to appear in court at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, January 27.
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Source: ocala-news
