fbpx

Man arrested after foot chase by officers investigating door kicked off its hinges at Campus Walk

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Mark Isaiah Smith, 34, was arrested early this morning and charged with resisting arrest after allegedly running from officers investigating a report of a door that had been kicked off its hinges at Campus Walk Apartments.

Gainesville Police Department officers responded to a call about a burglary at 914 SW 8th Avenue (Campus Walk Apartments) at about 3 a.m. this morning and reclassified the call as criminal mischief after seeing that the front door to an apartment had been kicked off its hinges. Officers reported that the suspect was a black male wearing a white shirt, black pants, and a baseball cap and saw Smith, who matched the description, running through the apartment complex.

Officers began setting up a perimeter to catch the suspect, who was running through yards and backyards, and one officer saw Smith walking onto SW 1st Avenue from between two buildings; the officer noted that Smith was sweating profusely and kept looking back at his patrol car.

Smith allegedly ran behind two dumpsters in an apparent attempt to circle behind the officer but was cut off by the officer’s patrol car and ran eastbound on SW 1st Avenue before the officer caught up with him and apprehended him near SW 10th Street.

Post Miranda, Smith reportedly admitted to “committing the crime” at Campus Walk Apartments, although he was only charged with resisting arrest without violence.

Smith has a juvenile criminal history, seven felony convictions (two violent), and nine misdemeanor convictions (one violent); he has served three state prison sentences, with his most recent release in 2020. He was arrested in February for drug possession after he was found squatting at the County’s Budget Inn. He entered a plea of nolo contendere to the drug charge and served a three-month jail sentence. In July, he was charged with 13 retail thefts in which 123 items valued over $7,000 were stolen; the charges were later dropped. He is also facing a sworn complaint for stealing an electric scooter worth $349 from Target in July.

Bail information is unavailable on holidays.

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. 

  • In 16 years as an “adult”, he has peen convicted of a crime for each of his adult years; more if you deduct his time in prison. In other words, a career criminal. A twenty year sentence would not be unreasonable in this case, after so many free rides by SAs and Judges.

  • There’s only two things that’ll stop this piece of garbage. A life sentence or a fifty cent bullet. The latter is much, much cheaper for the taxpayers.

  • Despite its name, Campus Walk is a dystopian failed condo complex in the midst of Sorority Row and other student housing blocks. The condos are likely owned by hapless landlords or conspiring Dems hoping for another vote-making tragedy.

    • Actually it is owned by a friend of mine and he is none of those things and has spent quite a lot of money refurbishing the units and putting up many security cameras for just such issues.

  • Seven felony charges “dropped” by the SAO? Out on bail, another felony charge pending (waiting on student victim to leave for holiday break, no response, charges dropped.)
    Ya’ll voted for this form of dysfunctional government, don’t whine when it comes to your home.

  • If I lived anywhere near Campus Walk I would not venture out alone at night. You are right on the edge of the gentrification zone and the predators are right on your doorstep looking for someone to assault or rob.

  • Another idiot who cant live within society without stealing from other people. Needs to be designated as a career criminal. How many arrests does it take? He gas never grown up and needs more than three months in prison

  • That must have been a really good piece of crack. 🤪
    Only is Gainesville does a guy “kick an apartment door in off it’s hinges”, then run from the cops, and only get charged with resisting w/o violence.

  • >