Convicted felon arrested for pointing gun at another man at RTS Depot at Butler Plaza

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Jonathan Wesley Wilcox, 34, was arrested yesterday for allegedly pointing a gun at another man at the RTS Depot in Butler Plaza

At about 5:20 p.m. on July 19, Gainesville Police Department officers responded to the RTS Depot (4231 SW 30th Avenue), where the victim said he had approached Wilcox and engaged in friendly conversation before asking if he could put his backpack in Wilcox’s shopping cart. The victim said this turned into an argument that led to Wilcox pulling a Glock 9mm firearm from his pants and pointing it at the victim’s head. The victim told Wilcox he was calling 911, and he said Wilcox ran from the area.

Two witnesses reportedly told an officer that they heard an argument and then saw Wilcox and the victim approaching; they said they saw one of the men reach into his pants and pull out a firearm, and then they heard him rack the slide. They said they did not see the man point the gun at the victim because they fled as soon as they saw the gun.

Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputies saw Wilcox running southbound from the RTS Depot, and a K-9 deputy used his PA system to order Wilcox to give himself up; Wilcox allegedly continued running but eventually stopped and lay down on the ground.

Post Miranda, Wilcox reportedly said an unknown man had approached him at the bus stop and asked to place his backpack in Wilcox’s shopping cart. He said he told the man he could not, and they had a brief verbal argument before the victim offered him a fist bump while attempting to “wish him good greetings.” Wilcox said he rejected the fist bump, and as he walked away, the victim made some offensive comments, so he confronted the victim about the offensive slurs, and they started arguing again. He said that as they got closer to each other, he pulled out his gun; he admitted pulling the slide back, but he said he never pointed the gun at the victim. He said he fled the bus stop and placed the firearm in the storage facility across the street. He said he ran to avoid contact with the police, but he said he could not understand what the deputy was saying over the PA until the deputy was close enough, and he gave himself up at that point.

Officers reportedly found the firearm hidden at the storage facility.

Wilcox has been charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and resisting an officer without violence. He has two felony convictions (one violent) and six misdemeanor convictions (one violent); he has served one state prison sentence and was released in 2013. Judge Susan Miller-Jones ordered him held without bail pending a hearing on a motion from the State Attorney’s Office to hold him without bail until trial; if the judge denies the motion, bail will be set at that hearing.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.