Homeless man arrested for attacking man with stick

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – David Lee Ellison, 50, was arrested early this morning and charged with aggravated battery after allegedly attacking another man with a stick near the Food Max on East University Avenue.

At about 1:49 a.m., a Gainesville Police Department officer responded to 1304 E. University Avenue, where the victim said Ellison walked up to him and hit him in the head with a stick; the victim said that as he fought back, both of them fell to the ground, and Ellison bit him on the finger. He said that after they separated, Ellison came up behind him with the stick, and as he turned around, Ellison hit him again in the face.

The officer reported that the victim had injuries under one eye and on one finger.

A witness said that Ellison started the verbal argument with the victim and that he had the stick in his hand before the argument. He said he saw Ellison hit the victim in the face with the stick and that after they fell to the ground, Ellison kept hitting the victim with the stick. He said he heard the victim say, “Get off me, stop hitting me, leave me alone, you’re biting me.”

The officer reported finding a stick that was about two feet long.

Post Miranda, Ellison reportedly said he engaged in a verbal argument with the victim because the victim was trying to fight with a woman. He said the verbal argument turned physical, and they both fell to the ground. He reportedly admitted that he bit the victim because he was trying to push him away and the victim’s hand was in his mouth. He denied hitting the victim with a stick but said he picked up the stick before his second interaction with the victim.

Ellison, whose address is listed as GRACE Marketplace, has 17 felony convictions (two violent) and 28 misdemeanor convictions (two violent). He has served four state prison sentences, with his most recent release in 2021. Judge Jonathan Ramsey ordered him held without bail pending a hearing on a motion from the State Attorney’s Office to hold him without bail until trial.

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.