Gainesville man arrested for trying to crash into car with child inside
Staff report
Updated on August 18 with bail information.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – K’mari Deonta Atkins, 24, was arrested last night for allegedly hitting and choking a woman, preventing her from leaving, following her when she left in a friend’s vehicle, and then slamming on the brakes in an attempt to cause a crash while there was a child in the car.
At about 9:30 p.m. on August 6, Atkins reportedly became angry with the victim and drove to her residence without her permission; he reportedly approached her aggressively, picked up the child, and placed the child on the couch. Atkins allegedly pushed the victim and then choked her, causing her to fall to the ground; he allegedly pulled her wig off and yelled at her.
Atkins eventually got up, and the victim tried to leave the residence, but Atkins allegedly blocked her way and told her she was not leaving. The victim reportedly said she did not feel safe leaving the house because of Atkins’s statements and actions.
Atkins allegedly took the victim’s phone and keys, preventing her from calling anyone. A friend of the victim called the victim’s phone, and Atkins answered it; the friend reportedly heard Atkins arguing with the victim and called another friend to go pick up the victim.
The victim said Atkins was still blocking the door, so she left the residence through a bedroom window without attracting Atkins’s attention.
After some time passed, Atkins noticed the victim was not in the residence, so he took her vehicle to look for her, allegedly leaving the child unattended on the couch. He found her near the front office of her apartment complex, where he allegedly tried to hit her with the vehicle. The victim reportedly stopped walking, argued with Atkins, and then got into the car with him to go back to her residence.
The victim’s friend arrived and yelled at the victim to leave, so the victim picked up the child and left with her friend.
Atkins allegedly followed them in the victim’s car, driving at a high rate of speed next to the friend’s car; he then allegedly drove in front of the friend’s vehicle and hit the brakes twice in an attempt to cause a crash. Meanwhile, the victim’s friend called 911 and stayed on the phone with dispatch, updating the call-taker with their location.
A Gainesville Police Department officer caught up with both vehicles in the 6000 block of Newberry Road and conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle Atkins was driving.
Post Miranda, Atkins reportedly said he went to the victim’s residence to pick up the child, and they got into an argument; he said the victim threw a plastic toy at him, which hit him in the lip. The officer noticed some swelling on Atkins’s lip, but when he asked Atkins about it, Atkins reportedly said he had not noticed any swelling or blood.
Atkins reportedly said the victim had taken his car keys and jumped into her friend’s car, so he decided to follow her in her vehicle. He said he was only following her so he could get his keys back.
The officer reported that video showed Atkins swerving in front of the vehicle with the victim, her friend, and the child inside and slamming on the brakes twice in an attempt to force the vehicle to crash.
The officer also noted that Atkins and the victim have a history of domestic violence, referencing an incident report during 2026.
Atkins has been charged with child neglect without great bodily harm, domestic battery by strangulation, false imprisonment, and domestic battery. He has no local criminal history, but his full criminal history is unavailable because the documents are not posted for offenses involving minors. Senior Judge Bo Bayer ordered him held without bail pending a hearing on a motion from the State Attorney’s Office to hold him without bail until trial. On August 14, Judge Susanne Wilson Bullard denied the motion and set bail at $70,000.
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.