Homeless man arrested for punching stranger at bus stop
Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Malik Tyree Smith, 28, was arrested yesterday and charged with aggravated battery on a person over 65 after allegedly punching a stranger at the Rosa Parks Transfer Station.
The victim, a 69-year-old woman, told a Gainesville Police Department Officer that she was sitting on a bench at the bus station at about 7:15 a.m. yesterday when Smith walked up; she said she didn’t know Smith and was afraid he was going to rob her, so she asked him to leave and not bother her. She said Smith asked her, “Do you want me to give you a reason (to call the police)?” and punched her in the head with a closed fist.
The officer made contact with Smith about 50 feet away from the victim. Post Miranda, Smith reportedly said he and the victim had a verbal argument and that the victim was being verbally aggressive. He reportedly said he “lost his cool” and asked the victim if she wanted him to give her a reason, and when she “kept speaking aggressively” and telling him not to stand over her, he “mushed” her on the side of her head with his finger.
Smith was reportedly identified with his South Carolina ID card. According to court documents, he is homeless and has been in Alachua County for about a month. He has one felony conviction (one violent) and three misdemeanor convictions (none violent). He has served one state prison sentence for aggravated assault out of Putnam County and was released in 2019. He has a pending traffic case in Alachua County for driving without a valid license and an active warrant out of Duval County. Judge Bo Bayer set bail at $20,000.
Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Well time 4u 2 go back to Zing Zing you silly A$+.. no excuse 2 do that
It’s a shame the idiot mayor and city council don’t have to put up with all this crime the homeless cause in the city if they were to get punched afew times or cars get broken into house broken into they my roll up the wellcome Mat they have out
I think it is great that Mayor back-Ward is helping with to encourage a diverse community by bringing in homeless people for other states like South Carolina. The City welcoming these convicted violent criminals with open arms is the proper thing to do and I thank Mayor back-Ward and the progressive commission for maintaining this policy. More good news is between Mayor back-Ward and County Commissioner Ken Kornhole at least these criminals will be able to use the phone 24/7 while we house them at the county jail.
P.O.S.
Hopefully this punk will get punched in jail.
Hopefully he gets convicted for Battery on a person over 65 & gets DOC time. Cause them boys on the ‘welcoming committee’ do NOT look kindly upon punks who beat-up old people! Karma WILL be a knock-out for him…in more ways than one
Surely a product of school rezoning.
What a beautiful culture. Maybe he just wanted room and board somewhere.
This tough guy probably has a bus pass given to him at Grace to ride around town. I’m 68 I wish he would approach me with that attitude.
I agree I am 67 let him punch me his family will visit him at the cemetery
Think about if the enforced penalties for crime were worse than working for these healthy thugs and bangers.
Another out of state genius who felt lured to our smart city 👹🤡🍦🍦🍦🍦D
Bet if it’d have been a 35 year old man this skipped rung on the evolutionary latter wouldn’t have done diddle. He’s obviously a crazy, but also obviously, he’s a coward.
$20k?!? He’s a repeat violent offender!! What are you waiting for, someone to die? This is the main reason for all the violence & crime right here. And this is why law abiding citizens need to arm themselves.
The blame for this assault on a 69yo woman, along with all the other blood, tears, and suffering inflicted on this city by the homeless, falls directly on GRACE Marketplace’s Jon DeCarmine and Julie DeCarmine.
They have absolutely zero compassion for the people of Gainesville who have worked hard all their lives to build this community. They just want to attract as many out-of-town homeless criminals as possible to secure more cash for the never-ending dumpster fire.
What they are doing is the equivalent of luring a pack of rabid dogs to a playground and then pretending that they aren’t responsible for what happens.
GRACE Marketplace is not just a miserable failure and a blight on this city: it is a nakedly hostile, invading force. Please confront anyone you know who either donates to or supports this evil organization and make sure they understand the evil they are inflicting on our town. Do not vote for anyone that supports GRACE Marketplace.