A man accused of punching a former girlfriend outside the Salvation Army was beaten up by her new boyfriend and then arrested on charges of aggravated assault and simple battery.
Ocala Police were called Wednesday night to the Salvation Army, 320 NW 1st Ave., about a battery in progress. The reporting officer encountered Matthew Justin Powell, 26, whose face was covered in blood and left eye was swollen, according to the police report.
When asked what happened, Powell told the officer two or three “white guys jumped me.” The officer asked Powell to elaborate but he didn’t provide any more information. Another officer arrived and spoke to two witnesses, who said Powell started the incident by punching a woman, according to the report.
The witnesses said another man intervened and a fight broke out between he and Powell. They said Powell pulled out a knife, but they saw it being thrown away as police started arriving and the altercation ended. An officer found a blue-handled box-cutter knife at the scene, according to the report.
An officer located the man and the woman involved in the incident, and the woman said she and Powell used to date but haven’t been romantically involved in over two years. She said she saw Powell that evening at the Salvation Army and he asked her to become romantically involved again. The victim said Powell became angry when she said no, and he punched her once in the chest and once in the back of the head, according to the report.
The victim said her new boyfriend intervened, and when Powell pulled the knife on him, he disarmed him and threw the knife over a fence. She said her boyfriend punched Powell several times in the head and face before leaving the area when police arrived. The victim’s boyfriend gave a similar account of the events, according to the police report.
After being read his rights, Powell claimed that for some unknown reason, the victim and her boyfriend “came at” him, and he pulled out the knife to defend himself. When asked if he ever struck the victim, Powell initially said he didn’t. Upon further questioning, he said something like, “Well she came at me first and I defended myself,” according to the report.
Powell was first taken to Ocala Regional Medical Center for treatment of his injuries before being taken to the Marion County Jail, where he’s being held on $2,500 bond. His next appearance in Marion County Court is set for April 30.