56.4 F
Ocala
Friday, March 29, 2024

Hunting-knife-wielding Ocala man jailed after family brawl

Michael Maatta

An 18-year-old Ocala man is accused of battering and pulling a hunting knife on a man who broke up a bedroom brawl between him and a juvenile.

Michael Maatta, of SW 52nd Street, was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill (domestic), simple domestic battery, and child abuse without great bodily harm (domestic). The relationship between the Maatta and the two victims was redacted from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office report.

A Marion County sheriff’s deputy responding to a battery call Sunday evening encountered a white male with no shirt – later identified as Maatta – walking eastbound on SW 52nd Street away from the incident location. Maatta was holding a large hunting knife with a black handle and he had blood coming from his head. The deputy placed Maatta in the patrol vehicle and returned him to the incident location, according to the sheriff’s office report.

The victim, who reported the incident, told the deputy he heard Maatta and the juvenile victim fighting in the next room. He said when he left his room, he saw Maatta and the juvenile grappling on the ground. The male victim said he separated both parties and when he did, Maatta brandished a red pocketknife with the blade out, the report said.

The adult victim said Maatta started approaching with the knife saying, “I’ll (expletive deleted) kill you,” causing the victim to fear for his life. He said he told Maatta to put the knife down and Maatta struck him twice with a closed fist on the left side of his face. The adult victim said pushed Maatta outside the patio door in an effort to get him away from him, according to the report.

The adult victim said Maatta walked towards him again and struck him two more times in the face with a closed fist on the left side of his face. He said he retreated, grabbed a chair and threw it at Maatta, striking him in the head. The adult victim said he did it in self-defense to stop Maatta from attacking him, the report said.

The adult victim said once he threw the chair, he ran to the bedroom. He said Maatta entered his bedroom with a large hunting knife with a black handle and said, “I’m going to (expletive deleted),” while holding the knife. The adult victim said he was in fear for his life when Maatta made this statement. He said he was able to get Maatta out of the bedroom, locked the door and contacted law enforcement, according to the report.

The deputy observed a large area of redness and swelling on the adult victim’s left brow, as well as a laceration in the same area that was bleeding, the report said.

The juvenile victim said he was in his bedroom when Maatta entered it and started an argument. He said Maatta struck him with a closed fist on the left side of his face. The deputy observed an area of redness and swelling on the juvenile’s left cheek, according to the report.

The juvenile victim said once he was struck, both parties started to grapple. He said the adult victim came in and separated them, and Maatta displayed a red pocketknife. The juvenile victim said Maatta was holding the pocketknife and approached adult victim while saying, “I’ll (expletive deleted) kill you.” He said Maatta then struck the adult victim in the face twice, and that was all he observed, the report said.

Maatta, who was being treated by medics for bleeding on the top of his head, told the deputy he was in a scuffle with the juvenile victim but didn’t remember how it started. He was unable to explain in detail what happened, saying only that he was guilty. Maatta admitted to striking the victim in the face twice and brandishing a knife while saying, “I’ll (expletive deleted) kill you,” according to the report.

Maatta was taken to the Marion County Jail, where he was being held Tuesday $2,000 bond. He will appear in Marion County Court on July 28.