Man arrested after allegedly breaking window, attacking police officer

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

Daniel Christopher Totulis, 28, was arrested early this morning on charges of burglary of an occupied dwelling and resisting an officer with violence.

A Gainesville Police Department officer responded at 2:35 a.m. to a call about a suspicious person who was knocking on doors at Royal Village apartments on SW Depot Avenue. Upon arrival, the officer saw a man running upstairs and past several apartments until he ran out of sight. The officer walked up the stairs to find the man and heard a window break. When he got to the second floor, the man was running away from the broken window toward the officer.

The man, later identified as Totulis, allegedly ignored commands to stop and rushed toward the officer, striking and shoving him in the chest. The officer reported that his body-worn camera mount was broken, causing the camera to fall to the ground and stop working.

The officer reported that Totulis continued to ignore multiple commands to stop resisting and continued to fight him. The officer said he had to perform a takedown and force Totulis to the ground. While on the ground, Totulis allegedly continued to shove and punch the officer. Multiple 911 calls were received at this time, reporting the disturbance.

A resident of the apartment with the broken window said the person in the bedroom with the broken window was not home and that she did not know Totulis. Two residents were in the apartment when the window was broken.

The officer reported that the screen had been pulled out and the blinds pushed inward, indicating that the person who broke the window was trying to enter the bedroom.

Post Miranda, Totulis reportedly refused to answer questions but appeared to officers to be intoxicated. He has been charged with burglary of an occupied dwelling and resisting an officer with violence. He is being held on $40,000 bail.

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.