Gainesville man facing charges for attacking a child in August and injuring Shands security personnel in January

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Gregory Lernard London Jr., 36, was arrested in October for child abuse and has now been charged with injuring two security guards at UF Health Shands.

London was originally arrested on October 20, 2025 for the child abuse incident, but Alachua Chronicle did not receive the sworn complaint until this week, almost four months after we requested it.

According to the sworn complaint, on August 22, 2025, London allegedly grabbed a juvenile male by the collar and lifted him off the ground before placing his fist on the child’s face and saying, “I will break your jaw.” He then put the victim down and walked away.

The responding Gainesville Police Department officer reported that the victim had scratch marks on his neck and a torn collar. The victim reportedly said he did not know London except as the father of another student on the bus.

The officer was unable to locate London, so a sworn complaint was filed, and on October 13, Judge James Colaw signed a warrant for his arrest. On October 20, he was arrested in Levy County and then transported to the Alachua County Jail, where he posted bail of $10,000 and was released on October 22.

On January 10, while still on pre-trial release in the child abuse case, London was involuntarily committed to UF Health Shands Hospital for a psychiatric evaluation, and a Gainesville Police Department officer reported that he began to display signs of restlessness and agitation and opened the door of his hospital room.

A security guard reportedly told him that a nurse would be with him shortly and started closing the door, but London allegedly screamed “F*** that,” grabbed the guard’s hand, and pushed him out of the way in an attempt to leave the room.

A second security guard came to assist the first guard, and London allegedly hit that guard in the face several times and bit his hand.

Two witnesses reportedly told the officer that they saw London hit the second guard, and one witness saw him bite the guard. A third witness reported that London grabbed and pushed the first guard.

The officer reported that the first guard suffered lacerations and swelling on his hand and wrist, and the second guard had a visible bite mark on his hand and scrapes and bruises on his arm.

The incident was reportedly captured on surveillance video. Because London was in the hospital, the officer filed a sworn complaint, and Judge James Colaw signed a warrant for his arrest on January 12 with bail set at $200,000.

London is scheduled for a hearing in the child abuse case on February 26, and he is currently being held on $200,000 bail for two counts of battery on emergency medical personnel (the officer noted that the security guards qualify as emergency medical personnel under the statute because they provide security for the Emergency Department). London has eight felony convictions (two violent) and six misdemeanor convictions (one violent) and has served four state prison sentences, with his most recent release in April 2025. At the time of the August incident, he was on probation for charges that sent him to prison for seven years in 2018, but his probation was successfully terminated on October 29, 2025.

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.