A 27-year-old Ocala man was arrested on Thanksgiving after he allegedly stabbed his sister with a knife during an argument over a hat.
Early in the morning on Thursday, November 27, a Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to a local residence after receiving reports of a stabbing incident. When the deputy arrived at the home, a man – later identified as Roamalda Mince Bravo – was observed walking approximately 20 yards from the home, according to the arrest report.
The deputy noted in the report that Bravo “appeared to be intoxicated,” and he told the deputy that he had a knife. Inside Bravo’s pocket, a blue “butterfly style knife” was located.
Inside the home, the deputy made contact with the female victim who had sustained a stab wound to the left side of her abdomen. She was transported to a local hospital.
Several witnesses spoke with the deputy and advised that the victim’s brother, Bravo, had stabbed her with a blue knife while she was attempting to deescalate a verbal altercation between Bravo and another individual in the home.
An MCSO deputy made contact with the victim at the hospital. She advised that she was at the incident location with her boyfriend and members of her family, adding that they were initially “having a good time.”
According to the victim’s statement, Bravo was “playing around” when a hat belonging to one of the guests fell onto a table. Bravo then allegedly grabbed the hat off the table and refused to give it back to its owner.
As a result, an argument ensued, and the victim stated that she “stood up” for the hat’s owner and told Bravo to “give (it) back.” Bravo refused to return the hat despite the victim’s repeated requests, and he allegedly pulled an object out of his pocket, according to the report.
The victim recalled Bravo moving towards her, and she then “felt something warm on her left side.” The report stated that when the victim touched her side, she felt blood, and she sat down in shock while one of the witnesses contacted law enforcement.
After Bravo was read his Miranda rights, he allegedly told the deputy, “Bro, I (expletive) up.”
A criminal history search of Bravo revealed that he was previously convicted of battery in Marion County in January 2018 and March 2019.
Bravo was placed under arrest and booked into Marion County Jail, where he remains in custody. His bond has been set at $10,000, and he is being charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
Jail records show that Bravo is scheduled to appear in court at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, December 30.