A 26-year-old Ocala man was taken into custody after deputies said he threw a stolen handgun into the bushes while being pulled over on a scooter.
On Wednesday, July 15, at around 6:45 a.m., a Marion County Sheriff’s Office corporal was stopped near the intersection of E Highway 40 and SW 27th Avenue when a scooter was observed. The corporal noted in the arrest report that the scooter’s registration decal had expired in April 2025, prompting the corporal to initiate a traffic stop.
The scooter pulled into a parking lot located in the 2700 block of E Silver Springs Boulevard. As the vehicle came to a stop, the corporal reportedly observed the driver, later identified as Yuan Smit Prevost Martinez, throw a firearm into the bushes on the south side of the lot.
In response, the corporal held Prevost Martinez at gunpoint until backup arrived, and he was then taken into custody without further incident. During a search of the nearby bushes, a firearm – identified in the report as a .22-caliber Kel-Tec handgun – was allegedly found by law enforcement.
A records check of the handgun’s serial number revealed that the firearm had been previously reported stolen out of Marion County, according to the report.
A subsequent inquiry into Prevost Martinez’s driving record reportedly showed that he had 11 active suspensions on his Florida driver’s license. Additionally, an MCSO deputy noted in the report that Prevost Martinez did not possess the required motorcycle endorsement to legally operate the scooter on a public roadway.
After being advised of his Miranda rights, Prevost Martinez allegedly admitted that his license was suspended. According to the report, he told investigators that he had “picked up the firearm in Marion Oaks,” adding that he “threw it into the bushes because he was scared.”
Prevost Martinez was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail, where he remains in custody on a $4,500 bond. He is being charged with felony grand theft of a firearm, along with misdemeanor charges of knowingly driving with a suspended or revoked license (second or subsequent offense) and operating a motorcycle without a license.
A court date for Prevost Martinez has not yet been scheduled, according to jail records.