Man arrested for threatening stranger with knife

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Bryan Licona, 34, was arrested yesterday morning after allegedly pulling a knife on a visitor to his neighbor’s home.

At about 8:25 a.m. on August 12, a Gainesville Police Department officer responded to a home in the 2100 block of NW 29th Avenue, where the victim said he had been visiting the house next door to Licona’s home, and Licona was outside doing yard work when he left. He said he did not know Licona and had had no previous interactions with him.

The victim said Licona started yelling at him about yard debris from the neighbor’s yard that was on his property. He said he walked to his vehicle, holding his infant child, and argued briefly with Licona before Licona pulled a knife from his pocket and opened the blade by flipping it outward. The victim said Licona left his yard and walked toward his vehicle while making statements like “We have a problem!?” The victim said Licona stopped at the rear of his vehicle before going back to his own yard, but he was in fear of being stabbed.

The officer reported that a knife in Licona’s pocket matched the description provided by the victim.

A neighbor reportedly told the officer he saw the interaction between Licona and the victim, including seeing Licona walk toward the victim and his vehicle while the two men argued. The neighbor reportedly said he did not see a knife, but his description of the incident otherwise corroborated the victim’s story.

Licona has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He has no criminal history, and Judge Kristina Van Vorst set bail at $15,000.

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.