Man arrested for threatening couple with knife

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Vince Michell Campbell, 63, was arrested last night and charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after allegedly threatening a couple with a knife.

At about 10:20 p.m. last night, Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a call about an assault in the Holly Heights neighborhood and reportedly found Campbell holding a knife. A deputy reported that Campbell was holding it “with a traditional grip” when he arrived, then Campbell switched the grip so that the blade was pointing down and raised the knife. Campbell allegedly approached the victims with the knife raised in the air, but he set the knife down on a trash can when deputies ordered him to drop it.

The male victim said he had come to the area to visit the female victim and that Campbell had gotten upset because he has romantic feelings for the female victim. He said Campbell became increasingly hostile to them and eventually went into his residence and came out with a knife. Campbell allegedly walked toward the couple with the knife raised, threatening to kill them. The female victim said she has no romantic relationship with Campbell.

A witness reportedly saw the incident and corroborated the victims’ accounts.

Post Miranda, Campbell said he had been told that the male victim was going to shoot him, so he grabbed a knife to protect himself. He denied threatening to harm the victims.

Campbell has four felony convictions (two violent) and five misdemeanor convictions (two violent). Judge Walter Green set bail at $30,000.

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.