Homeless man on probation charged with threatening victim with knife at Hawthorne McDonald’s

Staff report

HAWTHORNE, Fla. – Deven Tyler Hendrix, 27, was arrested last night and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after allegedly threatening another man with a knife at the McDonald’s inside the Love’s Truck Stop in Hawthorne.

At about 9:21 p.m. on March 6, an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to a call about an armed disturbance at McDonald’s (5615 SE U.S. Hwy 301), where the caller said Hendrix had pulled out a knife and threatened the victim.

The victim reportedly told the deputy that Hendrix had stolen a cup from behind the counter at McDonald’s and then started arguing with an employee who confronted him. The victim said he told Hendrix to leave, and he and Hendrix went outside, where the victim said the police were on the way and Hendrix should leave.

The victim said Hendrix pulled a knife from his pocket and threatened to cut him, so he told Hendrix he would shoot him. The victim said he started to walk back inside the restaurant, but when he got to the door, he saw that Hendrix was walking toward him with the knife’s blade open. The victim said he reached behind his back, acting as if he had a gun, out of fear that he would be stabbed, and Hendrix walked to a bench and sat down.

A black foldable knife was reportedly found in Hendrix’s hoodie pocket.

Post Miranda, Hendrix reportedly admitted that he had brandished a knife and had opened the blade but said the victim had threatened to shoot him, so he brandished his knife in self-defense.

Hendrix, who is described as homeless in a court document, has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He has three felony convictions (none violent) and five misdemeanor convictions (two violent); he is on probation for property damage out of Putnam County. Judge Kristine Van Vorst 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.