Pair arrested in connection with fatal stabbing


BY JENNIFER CABRERA
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – D’Angelo James Bridges, 18, and Tasireous Townsend, 21, were arrested and charged in connection with a fatal stabbing yesterday.
A Gainesville Police Officer determined that at about 10:05 a.m. on December 20, the victim began arguing verbally with Townsend, who was sitting in a vehicle in the parking lot south of the intersection of SW 31st Place and SW 26th Drive. The victim reportedly opened the door of the car while arguing with Townsend.
Bridges, who was later determined to be a friend of Townsend’s, was walking in the area and saw the two arguing; he allegedly hit the victim from behind with a metal stick, and then he and the victim began fighting, with Bridges allegedly striking the victim repeatedly with the metal stick while the victim hit Bridges with his hands.
Townsend reportedly went into a nearby apartment, picked up a kitchen knife, and came outside to confront the victim. According to one report, Townsend reportedly told the victim to give him a reason to kill him, and when the victim swung a fist at him, Townsend allegedly stabbed him in the chest. According to another report, Townsend said, “You really wanna do this?” and told the victim he would kill him before the victim swung at Townsend and Townsend stabbed him. A third report said Townsend said, “Do something else to make me kill you.” The victim died from his injuries.
Both Bridges and Townsend allegedly fled the scene and discarded their weapons but were later detained by patrol officers.
Townsend reportedly tried to go back into the apartment where he found the knife, but the resident would not let him in.
Bridges allegedly provided the name “Deelo Watkins” with a false name and date of birth, claiming to be a juvenile. Officers eventually determined his real name and date of birth and confirmed his identity from his driver’s license photo.
Townsend reportedly said Bridges delivered the first physical blow of the fight and that if Bridges hadn’t walked up and hit the victim, the fight probably would have stayed verbal.
Townsend reportedly described the metal stick as about six feet long and black in color. A witness reportedly said Bridges hit the victim with a blue metal broom handle, and a blue broom handle was recovered at the scene, but Bridges reportedly said that was not the weapon he used.
A witness told officers that the victim confronted Townsend because of an insulting text that Townsend sent to a mutual friend earlier that morning.
Post Miranda, Bridges reportedly said at first that he didn’t know Townsend and that he had only heard there was a shooting or stabbing in the area that morning. Eventually, he admitted knowing both Townsend and the victim. He reportedly said he had previous issues with the victim because the victim stole his Playstation a few months ago. Bridges also allegedly said the victim had a knife but eventually admitted that the victim was unarmed and only Townsend had a knife.
Bridges reportedly said he used a black pole or pipe, made of metal and wrapped in plastic, to hit the victim’s legs, but only after the victim hit Townsend first. Officers could not find any pole matching the description given by Bridges.
Post Miranda, Townsend reportedly said the stabbing was self-defense, but he also said he had “blacked out” during the stabbing. He eventually provided details he reportedly could not have known if he had blacked out, including that he only stabbed the victim once and that he stabbed him in the chest.
Townsend reportedly said at first that the knife was a “small” pocket knife he keeps in his pocket. At various times, he reportedly denied sending the insulting text and left out the fact that he went into an apartment to get a knife. At another point, he reportedly said he only went into the apartment to get away from the fight. Officers did not locate the knife.
Bridges has been charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, tampering with evidence, and providing false identification to law enforcement. He has two felony convictions and is on probation in Leon County for burglary; Judge Thomas Jaworski set bail at $700,000 on the first two charges and gave officers 72 hours to produce probable cause for the third charge.
Townsend has been charged with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence. He has no convictions but was previously arrested on October 30 and charged with drug possession and smuggling drugs into a detention facility; his bond was initially set at $5,000, but after his lawyer made a motion for bond reduction, Judge William Davis released him on his own recognizance for mental health or substance abuse treatment supervision. However, Townsend declined participation in Drug Court because of his job, and on December 15, Judge Walter Green ordered his case placed back on the criminal docket for prosecution.
Judge Thomas Jaworski set bail at $3,000,000.
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.
Finally! A judge with common sense.
The judge must have been reading our comment section.
There’s a generation of young adults who have no problem killing a person for almost any reason at all…
Our culture, what we enacted into law and tried to live out has completely FAILED for the last 60 years…
This is an example.
There are many more.
Not our culture.
You can’t put all young adults into this equation. Check your local gun and violant crime statistics.
The real problem will stick out like a sore thumb.
Lower population numbers, but the highest by double digits in crime offense percentages.
Is this all these street punks learn at home, on the street or in school…how to settle a dispute with extreme violence. Hold some of the Parents responsible, those who have a child with a criminal history, any kind of felony charge. Let’s go back to the old days Reform School programs. Set up hard labor work camps where the criminal works on a six-day basis or he/she doesn’t get but the bare minimal food to survive. If something drastic isn’t brought forth quickly these street punks with Street Pharmacia Degrees that KILL other children will only die on the streets and newbies will take over and the life cycle for street punks continues. For extreme violent criminals, one person cell with NO TV< BOOKS< NEWPAPERS< COLORING BOOKS or any OUTSIDE COMMUNICATION TO ANYONE. Nothing but TIME to think about how dumb & stupid he/she was in committing a crime that got them in their present situation. One exception for the scumbag is a periodic call to their Attorney for appeals updates. Make life as miserable and as hard as possible while staying within the legal parameters of our Laws.
Look around POLITICIANS, AMERICA IS UNDER CONSTANT ATTACK BY FOREIGN VIOLENT LEADERS. CHINA, SENDS MEXICO FENTENAL AND OTHER DRUGS INTENTIONALY AND MEXICO SENDS THE MAIN BULK OF THIS KILLER DRUG UP TO US SO THAT OUR BRAIND-DEAD YOUTHFUL MORONS WALKING AMOUNG US CAN TRY TO BEAT THE MERCHANT OF DEATH IN ORDER FOR SOME HIGH. I WOULD NEVER FEEL SORRY FOR THE DUMBASSES WHO DO DRUGS. CREATMATE THEIR BODY AND FORGET WHO THEY WERE!
LOOK AT OUR SANCTUARY CITIES. VIOLENCE RUNS RAMPENT AND NO ONE GIVES A DAMN. NOT EVER THE DUMBASS VOTERS IN THESE STATES. WE NEED A FEDERAL LAW THAT MAKES ANY STATE WHO DECLARES A SANCTUARY IN ANY MANNER FOR CRIMINALS IN VIOLATION OF THE FEDERAL LAW AND FINED SEVERLY.
FREEBEES FOR LAZY PEOPLE… SHUT DOWN EVERY KIND OF SOCIAL SERVICES FREEBEES AND FORCE LAZY PEOPLE TO GO TO WORK. IF THESE LAZY PEOPLE REFUSE TO WORK AND HAVE CHILDREN, SPEND THE MONEY SAVED TO TAKE CONTROL OVER THE CHILDREN AND GIVE THEM A BETTER WAY OF LIFE.
ONLY VOTERS & POLITICIANS CAN FIX OUR COUNTRY.
REFUSE TO LISTEN TO OR VOTE FOR ANY DEMOCRAT IN ALL ELECTIONS. THESE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE CAUSED NINTY-NINE PERCENT OF ALL OUR NEGATIVE ILLS WHICH ARE DESTROYING OUR ONCE GREAT COUNTRY.
ONE PERFECT EXAMPLE IS; OBAMA, BIDEN THE ALLEDGED CRIMINAL, PELOUSIE AND HER GANG OF GREEDY FAR LEFT SIDE FOLLOWERS. NOW ADD IN NADLER, AOC 7 HER SQUAD OF MISFITS AND THE FAR LEFT IN THE SENATE. THE DEM'S ARE DANGEROUS PEOPLE WHO DON'T CARE ABOUT YOU OR ME. THEY WANT THE ONE WORLD LEADERSHIP. BIDEN IS WORKING HARD ON THAT ASPECT.
AMERICA IS IN SERIOUS TROUBLE AND WE THE PEOPLE NEED VERY STRONG LEADERS IN 2024, HOUSE, SENATE, WHITE HOUSE. WITHOUT THIS BECOMING A REALITY AMERICA WILL END UP A DAMN SOCIALIST COUNTRY AND THEN ALL YOU BLEEDING HEART LIBERALS WILL BE DUMPED INTO THE MAINSTREAM OF A DICTATORSHIP, LIKE SO MANY OTHER COUNTRIES TODAY.
RIGHT NOW, TODAY, BIDEN AND HIS GANG OF FLUNKYS ARE IN ANOTHER WORLD. THEY ARE LIERS, THIEVES, SCUM, SORT OF LIKE WHAT TWITTER USED TO BE, WHAT FACEBOOK HAS BECOME AND INSTAGRAM, WHO KNOWS WHERE THEY WILL END UP ON THE LIST.
DOES ANYONE THINK THE BIDEN ADMINISTRTION CARES ABOUT ANY PERSON ILLEGALLY ENTERING THE US of A?
I DOUBT IT… GIRLS AND WOMEN RAPED, MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN DYING ON THE SO-CALLED SOUTH AMERICAN DEATH MARCH TO OUR BORDERS. FOR WHAT END MEANS?
OH NO IT COULDN'T BE THAT THE DEMOCRATS ARE HOPING FOR FUTURE VOTERS AND OR FUTURE RE-DISTRICTING FOR MORE DEMOCRAT S TO GO TO WASHINGTON. NO CHANCE OF THIS IS THERE? LOL
Thanks mr I know it all wish u would come to the hood so we could show u it’s easy talking from your nice house on the hill but where we at it’s dog eat dog ain’t that how u crackers wanted it will u got it these young street punks for u in your house scared lol emmm reminds u of the days people was riding around with table sheets on lol chasing everyone who is not the same color of you peaker woods I wish I could bring all your crackers to the hood and show you why your kids love us niggas lol
Could go anywhere with this but…
Guess the young black men just aren’t getting the message from the Chestnuts, Blounts, Scotts & other community leaders. Either that or like other criminals, they just don’t think the rules apply to them.
It starts in the home and you can’t fix something that doesn’t want to be fixed.
I’m sorry but…….. Yall really need to get your community together. (YALL) are out of control.
Over and over again…(yall) as we say in the south
#BLM
He declined to participate in Drug Court (successful completion of which would have resulted in his criminal charges being dropped) because it would have interfered with his smoking pot and playing video games…you know, his job.😄
Wtf is a metal stick? …u mean a pipe?