An Ocala man was arrested last week after he allegedly waved a metal pipe at a woman and her brother during an argument over food stamps and the Coronavirus.
Reginald Wendell Bryant, 55, was charged with two counts of aggravated domestic assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill after the incident, which happened Tuesday evening at his residence on Cypress Drive.
Bryant, who reported the incident, told a Marion County sheriff’s deputy that the female became upset while talking to her brother about an argument she and Bryant had over food stamps and how Bryant would feel if she died from COVID symptoms, according to the sheriff’s office report.
Bryant said the woman threw a lamp that hit him in his hand. He said he left the residence through the front door, grabbed a metal pipe and returned, the report said.
The female victim said she was in her bedroom venting to her brother about how she felt about Bryant’s comments about her. She said she felt as if Bryant would rather her be dead. The female victim said she heard Bryant outside her room listening to the conversation, so she jerked open the door and saw him standing there, according to the report.
The female victim said she started arguing with Bryant in the doorway and the verbal altercation continued into the living room. She said at some point, Bryant left the resident and immediately returned swinging a metal pipe. The female victim admitted to grabbing a lamp and throwing it at the ground near Bryant because she felt scared, the report said.
The male victim corroborated his sister’s story. He said when he tried to top the two from fighting, Bryant said, “I’ll whip your ass, too,” while holding the metal pipe. He said he loves Bryant, but this isn’t the first time he’s been scared of him, according to the report.
Asked again when and why he grabbed the metal pipe, Bryant said he grabbed it because he became scared when the female grabbed the lamp. Asked why he left the residence and returned with the pipe, Bryant continued to claim he was using it for self-defense, the report said.
Based on the fact Bryant safely left the residence and returned with the pipe and made threatening statements, he was placed under arrest and taken to the Marion County Jail. Bryant was released Wednesday afternoon on $4,000 bond. He will appear in Marion County Court on June 16.