Man on probation arrested for attacking passing bicyclist

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Shaun Demetrius Williams, 33, was arrested yesterday for allegedly attacking a passing bicyclist and for marijuana possession.

At about 5:45 p.m. on April 9, the victim was riding a bicycle in the 2200 block of NW 6th Street when Williams, who was on foot, started arguing with him and then kicked the rear wheel of his bicycle, causing the victim to stumble and nearly fall. Williams then assumed a fighting stance and held up his fists, and the victim assumed a fighting stance in response.

A passing Gainesville Police Department officer reportedly saw the entire incident from his patrol vehicle and intervened, ordering Williams to step away from the victim. The officer reported that Williams also took a fighting stance with him.

The victim told the officer that Williams had been screaming racial slurs at him and saying, “I’m going to kill you.” The victim said he did not know Williams, did not know why he had attacked him, and was afraid that Williams would have continued hitting him if the officer had not intervened.

Post Miranda, Williams reportedly admitted kicking the victim’s bicycle and said the victim did not hit him first and he was not acting in self-defense. He reportedly said he did not like white people, using a racial slur, and he did not like police. He later reportedly said that he never kicked the victim and then said he had “dope” on him, clarifying that he was referring to marijuana in his backpack.

The officer reportedly found 7 grams of marijuana in Williams’s bag in an unsealed dispensary container. When the officer asked Williams whether he had a medical marijuana card, Williams reportedly said he didn’t care “about no police or no charges, I’m not going to stop smoking weed. Just charge me with it.”

Williams has been charged with battery and possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana. He has five misdemeanor convictions (non-violent). Williams was arrested in November 2024 for throwing rocks at the windshield of a moving school bus; the felony charge for throwing missiles at a vehicle was reduced to property damage with a second charge of resisting an officer without violence, and Williams was sentenced to 18 months of probation. Judge Jonathan Ramsey set bail at $16,000 on the new charges.

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.