Man on probation arrested for attacking elderly man at bus stop

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Babyray Dean Booker, 39, was arrested yesterday for allegedly attacking a 70-year-old man after following the victim off of an RTS bus.

At about 7:45 p.m. on February 28, an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to a call about a stabbing at an RTS bus stop in the 5900 block of SW Archer Road.

The victim reportedly told the deputy that he and Booker had argued on the bus and that Booker had gotten in his face during the argument; the deputy reported that multiple witnesses said Booker was the primary aggressor during the argument and had made threats to harm the victim.

The victim said he got off the bus to get away from Booker, but Booker followed him off the bus and punched him in the face; in self-defense, the victim reportedly stabbed Booker in the lower abdomen.

Booker was no longer at the bus stop when the deputy arrived, but he was located nearby at Madison Cove Apartments. Booker was trespassed from that apartment complex in September 2024.

Booker was transported to an emergency room for treatment; on the way, he reportedly said he had gotten into an argument with a man and had gotten into his face, but he denied hitting anyone.

The deputy was reportedly unable to obtain a post-Miranda statement because Booker was administered medications that altered his state of mind at the emergency room.

The deputy reportedly reviewed video footage from the RTS bus and saw Booker follow the victim off the bus and then run toward the victim and punch him; the victim tried to avoid a second strike from Booker and stabbed him in self-defense.

Booker has been charged with battery on a person over 65 years of age. He has four felony convictions (none violent) and six misdemeanor convictions (two violent); he is on probation on a 2023 domestic battery case. He was charged with violating his probation following an October 2024 arrest for theft, but the terms of his probation were reinstated after he served 58 days in jail on the theft charge; the victim of yesterday’s attack was a witness in the theft case. Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $52,500.

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.