60.9 F
Ocala
Friday, March 29, 2024

Shirtless Belleview man charged with threatening woman with gun at Motel 728

Tommy Jiovannie Vasquez

A shirtless Belleview man who reportedly threatened to blow a woman’s head off at the Motel 728 led police on a foot chase before being arrested Wednesday.

Tommy Jiovannie Vasquez, 29, was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and resisting arrest without violence. His address is listed as the motel, located at 5035 SE Abshier Blvd.

A Belleview Police officer responded to the motel shortly after 5 p.m. in response to a report of a man pulling a gun and threatening to shoot numerous people. The officer saw Vasquez wearing Camouflage shorts and no shirt walking south towards the end of the building. The officer yelled for Vasquez to stop but he took off running around the building with his right hand in his right pocket, according to the police report.

The officer chased Vasquez on foot and caught him about a block away. Once Vasquez was placed in the patrol car, officers searched for the weapon. They found it in the back yard of a residence on SE 110th Street. The firearm was a small .22-caliber handgun with no handle grips, which matched the description given by the victim and witnesses, the report said.

One witness said he saw Vasquez throw the gun into the area where police found it. Another witness said Vasquez knocked on his door and tried to shove the handgun into his sweater as officers were arriving, according to the report.

A man who was present during the incident said Vasquez pointed the gun at him as well. He said he was never in fear, so there was only the single charge of aggravated assault with the deadly weapon for threatening the female victim, the report said.

Vasquez, who refused to talk to police about the incident, was taken to the Marion County Jail, where he was released Thursday on $6,000 bond. He will appear in Marion County Court on Feb. 2.