Homeless man on probation arrested for attacking stranger on RTS bus

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Kishon Marquis Jones, 32, was arrested yesterday for allegedly attacking a woman he didn’t know on an RTS bus.

At about 1:32 p.m. on July 27, Gainesville Police Department officers responded to the 1500 block of North Main Street, where the victim had followed Jones off the bus.

A witness reportedly said he was riding an RTS bus when Jones began acting erratically, yelling and threatening the other passengers. He said Jones charged at the victim and started hitting her.

A second witness reportedly said Jones had been yelling at him and asking him to fight, but the witness ignored him. He said Jones then ran toward the victim, punched her, pulled her weave off her head, and continued hitting her.

The officer reported that four other people on the bus corroborated the victim’s account, but they did not want to be listed as witnesses.

The victim said she did not know the man who started yelling at her and then pulled the weave off her head and started hitting her. She said she deployed pepper spray to defend herself and then followed Jones off the bus while calling 911.

The officer reported that the victim suffered minor injuries to her head, neck, and arms.

Jones, whose address is listed as GRACE Marketplace, has been charged with misdemeanor battery. He is designated as a Violent Felony Offender of Special Concern and has 10 felony convictions (two violent) and 22 misdemeanor convictions (three violent); he has served four state prison sentences, with his most recent release on June 1, 2026, and he is on probation for burglary, battery, and theft. Judge Meshon Rawls set bail at $25,000.

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.