Six arrested after reports of armed suspects wearing masks at Carver Gardens

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Zarek Roi Clark, 19; Bernard Lorenzo Little Jr., 19; and Luisel Lopez-Pagan, 18, all of Ocala, were arrested yesterday after officers responded to reports of armed suspects wearing masks at Carver Gardens. Juveniles Jyzekiel Gillans, 16; Jaheim Sylvain, 15; and Jaylen Jermaine Little, 17; were also arrested.

The arrest report noted that there have recently been “numerous” calls for armed disturbances at Carver Gardens (1101 SE 15th Street) “in reference to armed subjects fighting while armed with weapons.”

At about 2:18 p.m. on July 20, multiple calls were received about individuals who were driving through the apartment complex at high speed in a gray Dodge Durango with dark window tint. The callers said the group got out of the vehicle, armed with guns and wearing masks, causing alarm in the apartment complex.

Responding Gainesville Police Department officers found the Durango and reported that its tag had been removed in an attempt to conceal the registration information, indicating that the group was not there for a law-abiding purpose.

Officers conducted a traffic stop and reported that multiple people in the vehicle refused to identify themselves.

Security cameras at Carver Gardens reportedly show the Durango entering the complex and driving to the east near buildings 9 and 10; the Durango stops, and an unidentified black male approaches the passenger window and appears to hand the passenger something before running away. The Durango turns around and backs into the road between buildings 4 and 5, and two black males wearing black hoodies and black shorts get out and chase the unidentified male toward building 3.

The unidentified male runs up the stairs and enters an apartment, and another four black males get out of the Durango and walk toward building 3 before reconvening near the Durango and walking toward building 5. Multiple members of the group can be seen clutching their waistbands in a manner consistent with concealing firearms.

The group appears to get into an argument with several people outside an apartment before getting back into the Durango and leaving the complex. All of the suspects were either wearing masks or had a hoodie pulled over their head to conceal their faces.

During the traffic stop, officers reportedly smelled marijuana coming from the vehicle, and an Alachua County Sheriff’s Office K-9 team responded and conducted a sniff, resulting in an alert for illegal substances.

A search of the vehicle reportedly produced a marijuana “blunt” and a stolen pistol that was concealed under the third row of seats. Officers noted that this “confirmed… that the group manifestly endeavored to conceal the object (firearm) upon fleeing Carver Gardens.”

A witness reportedly identified Gillans as having a pistol, and he has been charged with aggravated assault.

Post Miranda, Clark reportedly said he was at Carver Gardens to help intimidate the person who previously attacked one of the people in the Durango. He admitted that he had no lawful reason to be at the complex and admitted to wearing a mask during the incident.

Clark, who told Court Services he is a Bethune-Cookman University student, has been charged with loitering/prowling. He has no criminal history, and Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $45,000.

Post Miranda, Little reportedly said he drove the group to Carver Gardens to drop off Gillans, who was beaten up a few days ago by a grown man, so he was staying with Little for protection. Little said that when they brought Gillans back, they saw the man who had battered him and decided to scare him. Little confirmed that the group put on their masks, got out of the Durango, and went to the building where the man was located. He said none of them had firearms during the incident. He said he owned the Durango, but he wouldn’t say how the stolen firearm got into the vehicle or who had possessed the firearm. When the officer told him the occupants of the rear seat could be charged for possession of the firearm, he reportedly said he would take the charge. He said they were initially just trying to scare the man who had attacked Gillans, but they “were going whichever direction the male went with the confrontation.”

The officer noted that Little, as one of the three adults in the Durango, could have tried to stop the juveniles from committing loitering/prowling and aggravated assault, but instead he decided to help them by driving them to Carver Gardens and putting on a mask with them.

Little has been charged with loitering/prowling and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. His criminal history was not posted because one of the charges involves a minor; Judge Miller-Jones set bail at $65,000.

Post Miranda, Lopez-Pagan reportedly said they went to Carver Gardens “to see what was going on” regarding a previous incident; he said they were not going to harm anyone and were just there to drop off his friend, who lived there. He later reportedly said he didn’t know anything at all about the incident, and then he changed his story again and said the group went to the complex with the intention of fighting.

Lopez-Pagan has been charged with loitering/prowling. He has no criminal history, and Judge Miller-Jones set bail at $45,000.

The charges for the other juveniles are not public.

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.