An Ocala man with a reported .298 blood-alcohol level needed to be tased twice before being subdued and arrested after a bizarre incident in the area of NW 13th Street and NW 7th Avenue.
An Ocala Police officer responded Thursday to the report of a suspicious vehicle at the location. Upon arrival, he saw 37-year-old Ramiro Arce aggressively walking towards a resident while swinging his fists. The man stepped back and Arce almost lost his footing. The officer got out of his vehicle and ordered the men to separate, according to the OPD report.
Arce, who was bloody in several areas of his body, continued cursing, yelling incoherently and making aggressive movements towards the other man. The officer continued to give commands for Arce to calm down and sit on the pavement, but he refused to comply and made statements that he “didn’t care” and “you don’t know who I am,” the report said.
The officer warned Arce to stop advancing towards the man and sit down, or else he would deploy his Taser. Arce failed to comply and the officer tased him in the lower abdomen and left upper thigh. Arce immediately fell backwards onto the ground. He refused verbal commands to turn over on his stomach, making more statements about not caring, according to the report.
The officer again warned Arce he would be tased if he didn’t comply. When Arce refused, the officer deployed the Taser for the second time, with one prong hitting him in the left foot and the second prong failing to make contact. Additional officers arrived and managed to turn Arce onto his stomach. He continued to resist as he was handcuffed, the report said.
A strong odor of liquor emitted from Arce’s breath and body, his eyes were bloodshot, and he spoke incoherently. EMS arrived and evaluated Arce for unknown injuries on his body and his intoxicated state. He was taken to Ocala Regional Medical Center, according to the report.
The witness Arce told police Arce had been driving his black Chevy Colorado up and down NW 7th Street, hitting garbage cans and driving in circles back and forth from the dead end. He said at one point, Arce struck a light pole and came to a stop at the dead end of NW 7th Avenue, the report said.
The witness said Arce got out of his vehicle and began cursing and kicking all the trash cans in the area. When the witness confronted Arce and asked if he knew where he was, Arce became aggressive and started charging at him to physically assault him. The witness said he continuously asked Arce to stay off his property before the first police officer arrived, according to the report.
Arce’s blood-alcohol content was measured at .298 at the hospital. After being medically cleared, he was taken to the Marion County Jail on charges of assault, resisting an officer, and DUI with property damage. He’s being held on $10,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Marion County Court on July 18.