Man arrested for displaying gun during traffic dispute on NE Waldo Road
Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Jose Alfredo Zabala, Jr., 43, was arrested yesterday after allegedly displaying a gun during a traffic dispute on NE Waldo Road.
At about 6:26 p.m. on May 11, an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to a call about a firearm being displayed in the 5200 block of NE Waldo Road.
The victim said he had been sitting in the passenger seat of a car that made a U-turn on Waldo Road and that a man in a blue Kia had cut them off and brake-checked them. Both cars reportedly stopped in the roadway, and the victim and the suspect started arguing. The victim said he stayed inside his vehicle, but the suspect briefly got out, then got back in, pulled out a black firearm, and held it upright before driving away; the victim said the suspect did not point the gun directly at him.
The victim provided a description of the car and a tag number; while driving to the scene of the incident, a deputy saw the car at the intersection of NE Waldo Road and NE 39th Avenue and followed it to the parking lot of the Walmart on NE 12th Avenue.
Click here for video of the apprehension of Zabala in the Walmart parking lot.
A black firearm with a full magazine but no round in the chamber was reportedly recovered from Zabala’s car.
Zabala, whose address is listed as Palm Coast and who has only been in Alachua County for one day, has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He has no criminal convictions. Judge Susan Miller-Jones 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.
To be 43 and have no criminal convictions tells me something. It tells me that this is not a bad guy, and hopefully he is offered some form of deffered prosecution.
Or he has convictions in another country and just hasn’t been caught here before
No priors tells me he has previously evaded detection.
I know this guy personally and he sexually assaulted me and no one believed me. The. He did it to two other employees after me and they didn’t believe them either. So I hope they throw his ass in prison and get him away from his young daughter.
He is completely guilty. 1st it’s on video and secondly he has committed sexual assaults on numerous people and got away with it as I am one of those people.
Another soft weak guy who becomes a tough guy when he has a gun but can’t k,n o c,k somebody out in a fight.
I see we are in one of those moods here. What a difference in this incident and the usual. The man is clean cut, wearing neat clothing, doing exactly what the officer directs. The only thing to generate your extra anger is skin color. You should be ashamed for your ‘hang ’em high’ attitude.
There is another side to this story that wasn’t presented. Like what did the ‘victim’ do to create this situation in the first place.
He’s a good guy he’s works at Flyca in Starke a military school for troubled youth I pray for him
There’s always two sides to EVERY story. Bottom line is we ALL make mistakes and aren’t saints. He is an amazing man who ended up on the bad end of the situation. Non of us are perfect, so instead of bath mouthing him pray for him. #PC