A Belleview man was arrested during a traffic stop in Summerfield several days after he allegedly hit a man with a metal pipe.
Wilson Harvey Shafer, 28, was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and knowingly driving with a suspended license. He’s being held in the Marion County Jail on $10,000 bond and is due to appear in Marion County Court on June 9.
Shortly after midnight Monday, Marion County sheriff’s deputies spotted Shafer driving a white Chevy S10 pickup southbound on U.S. Highway 441 near Sunset Harbor Road, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The deputies were familiar with the vehicle as possibly being occupied by Shafer, who was wanted on an active warrant for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. The vehicle had a strap over the rear tailgate, partially obstructing its license tag, the report said.
Shafer’s vehicle got into the left turn lane to turn eastbound onto Highway 42 and stopped at the stop light, giving deputies the opportunity to positively identify Shafer. They conducted a traffic stop and arrested him. A records check showed Shafer has seven active license suspensions, the most recent or criminal failure to pay, according to the report.
Shafer was being sought after getting into an altercation in the early morning hours April 29 at Top Tech, located at 12006 SE Hwy. 484 in Belleview, which is where Shafer’s address is listed. The victim told a Belleview Police officer he had been living in a camper at Top Tech and was at the site with his mother and a male witness to pick up his belongings so he could move out, according to the Belleview Police report.
The victim said they were in the parking lot and he was in the back seat when he heard Shafer shout something at him. He said he got out of the vehicle to see what Shafer wanted when Shafer ran up and swung a metal pipe at his head. The victim said he brought up his arm to block the blow and the pipe hit him in the forearm, according to the report.
The victim said he ran around to the passenger side of the vehicle before running back into the shop and locking the door. He said his arm was numb from the blow, and the officer observed a small laceration on his arm consistent with his story. The victim declined medical treatment, the report said.
The victim’s mother said she was in the driver’s seat and heard the confrontation and the pipe hitting something, but she didn’t see the strike. She said Shafer yelled at her to stay out of it before confronting the victim, according to the report.
The male witness said he was using a pocketknife to scratch off lottery tickets when he heard the commotion. He said he got out of the vehicle and asked what was going on. The witness said he saw Shafer with a metal pipe, and Shafer told the witness to come with him and he’d show him what was going on, the report said
The witness said he still had the knife in his hand and told Shafer there would be an issue if he went with him. He said Shafer saw the knife and ran into the shop. He was not at the location when the officer arrived, and the warrant was issued for his arrest.