Gainesville man arrested for pointing firearm at tree service worker

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Jeremy Carlos Farrell, 49, was arrested yesterday on a warrant for allegedly pointing a firearm at a tree service worker in 2024.

At about 3:51 p.m. on August 6, 2024, a Gainesville Police Department officer responded to a home in the Springtree neighborhood, where the victim said he was working for a tree company that had a contract with Farrell, but Farrell reportedly canceled the contract because the tree company did not arrive on time.

The victim said Farrell pointed a gun at him and said, “I’m not playing with you!”, causing him to fear for his life. The victim said he and his girlfriend ran into the next-door neighbor’s garage while two of Farrell’s family members tried to restrain Farrell; he said one of the family members took the gun from Farrell and went back inside their house.

The responding officer noted that the gun, a Taurus Judge, is classified as a shotgun because it can shoot shotgun shells.

A witness reportedly said she saw the victim get out of a vehicle and then saw Farrell walking down the street, holding a gun; she said Farrell pointed the gun at the victim and said, “Do you think I’m playing?” She said all of the employees ran into a nearby garage for safety.

A second witness reportedly said Farrell chased the victim to their vehicle with a gun in his hand, pointing it at the tree service employees. He said Farrell said, “You think I’m playing with you?” but did not know why Farrell said that.

A third witness, one of the family members, reportedly said Farrell had a gun in his hand, and she was trying to push him away from the victim and the other tree service employees. She said she took the gun from his hand.

Post Miranda, Farrell reportedly said he had gotten into an argument with the victim and the other tree service employees, and he went back to his house, grabbed his gun, put it in his pocket, and walked back toward the victim and the other employees. He said his family members tried to stop him several times, but he did not listen. He said he never pointed the gun at the employees, and after the argument was over, he took the gun back to his house. Farrell reportedly said he’d had two drinks of vodka before arguing with the victim.

Farrell has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. A warrant for his arrest was signed by Judge Denise Ferrero on April 8, 2026, and he was arrested yesterday and released on $5,000 bail. He has three convictions for traffic offenses but no other criminal history.

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.