A 28-year-old Belleview man was arrested after he allegedly fired multiple shots at a male victim’s vehicle following an altercation at a local gas station.
On Thursday, a Marion County Sheriff’s Office corporal responded to the area of the Mobil gas station located at 13530 E Highway 25 in Ocklawaha in reference to a shooting. Shortly before arriving at the gas station, the deputy received notification that the victim had returned to his residence.
Upon arrival at the victim’s residence, the victim told the deputy that he had driven to the gas station earlier in the day. When he arrived, he noticed a man, later identified as Akil Rashad Todd, standing in front of the convenience store.
When the victim approached the entrance to the convenience store, he stated that Todd asked for spare change. The victim declined, and when he entered the store, he looked towards the parking lot and observed Todd near the driver’s side door of his vehicle.
The victim opened the front door of the convenience store and told Todd to stay away from his vehicle. Todd allegedly approached the victim and asked if he wanted to get into a fight.
According to the victim, Todd called him racial slurs. The victim re-entered the store and grabbed a cup of hot water to use as a deterrent. He then returned to his vehicle and backed out of the parking space.
Todd then allegedly approached the victim’s car on the passenger’s side and leaned into the open window. The victim told the corporal that Todd began yelling at him and refused to walk away from the vehicle.
Since the victim felt threatened, he threw the cup of hot water into Todd’s face. When the victim began to drive away, Todd grabbed onto the passenger door, and the victim stopped his vehicle.
The victim alleged that Todd pulled out a black handgun from his pocket. After seeing the handgun, the victim accelerated out of the parking lot as Todd allegedly fired multiple shots at his vehicle.
The corporal observed two bullet holes on the rear bumper of the victim’s vehicle, and one bullet hole through the license plate. The victim’s windshield also appeared to have been struck from the inside and was cracked.
The corporal indicated in the MCSO report that one of the bullet holes appeared to travel through the trunk and rear seat before striking the windshield.
Several shell casings were found in the gas station’s parking lot. A witness recalled hearing three popping sounds that resembled gunshots. The witness also recognized Todd as being a regular customer at the gas station, and the witness provided an MCSO deputy with Todd’s address.
MCSO deputies drove to Todd’s residence and met his girlfriend. She handed over a firearm that belonged to Todd, and she told the deputies that Todd had mentioned that someone had thrown water in his face at the gas station.
Todd was located and he refused to speak with law enforcement about the incident. He was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail where he is currently being held on $18,000 bond.
He is facing felony charges for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, and aggravated battery, along with a misdemeanor charge for carrying an unlicensed weapon.
A court date has not been scheduled yet, according to jail records.