Two homeless men arrested for attacking and trying to rape women; one attack was in Depot Park

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Thomas James Atkins, 49, and Steven Diaz, 43, were arrested early this morning for allegedly raping or attempting to rape women in seemingly random attacks; one incident was at Depot Park, and the other was at the intersection of NE Waldo Road and NE 8th Avenue.

Atkins

At about 11:06 p.m. on May 15, a witness called 911 to report that a woman was being attacked at Depot Park (201 SE Depot Avenue). The witness said he could see a man actively raping the woman while she screamed for help.

A short time later, a Gainesville Police Department officer made contact with Atkins, who met the description provided by the caller, and detained him.

The victim said she had been filling up her water bottle at the water fountain on the north side of the park when a black man approached her from the entrance of the playground. She said the man tried to talk to her, but she didn’t want to talk to him; she said he grabbed her, pushed her to the ground, and threatened to kill her if she did not cooperate. She said she was screaming for help and begging the man not to rape her; she said that after she tried dissuading him by saying he didn’t know whether she had any transmissible diseases, he rubbed on her and ejaculated.

A witness seated on a nearby bench said he heard a woman screaming and saw two people on top of each other; he said he heard a mention of sex, but he wasn’t able to provide more specific details.

The man who called 911 said he saw a man grab a woman and throw her to the ground, and the woman was yelling for help; he said the man got on top of the woman and started “humping” her. The witness positively identified Atkins as the man he had seen.

Post Miranda, Atkins reportedly said he didn’t do anything and had been talking to someone named Dave.

Atkins, who is described as homeless on the arrest report, has been charged with sexual battery. He has five felony convictions (two violent) and 27 misdemeanor convictions (non-violent); he has served three state prison sentences, with his most recent release in April 2025. He was released from the Alachua County Jail on April 29 after serving a 51-day sentence for trespassing after a warning at Walmart. Judge Gloria Walker ordered him held without bail pending a hearing on a motion from the State Attorney’s Office to hold him without bail until trial; if the judge denies the motion, bail will be set at that hearing.

Diaz

Early this morning, a woman arrived at the Gainesville Police Department Headquarters on foot to report that she had been raped in the 800 block of NE Waldo Road.

The victim said she had been sitting on a bench when a man approached her and started talking to her; she said he asked to be his friend, and she went along with it. She said he asked her to come to his tent and hang out with him, and she declined; then he asked her to be his girlfriend, and she said she only wanted to be friends.

The victim said the man sat down next to her and started making sexual advances; she said she let him kiss her in an attempt to end the encounter, but then he pulled her pants down. She said she told him to stop and pulled her pants back up, but he pulled her to the ground, still kissing her. She said she stood up, but he kept kissing and groping her and pulled her pants down again. She said she ran from him at that point, and when he followed her, she kept going toward GPD Headquarters.

Before she arrived at GPD Headquarters, a Gainesville Police Department officer responded to a separate call about an intoxicated person in the 800 block of NE Waldo Road. The officer made contact with Diaz and placed him under a Marchman Act.

While the officer had Diaz in custody, the victim made her report at GPD Headquarters, and an officer realized that her description (including a possible name, Jacob Diaz) matched the man who had been placed under the Marchman Act.

Diaz could not be interviewed because of his state of intoxication, and he was transported for medical treatment.

The victim positively identified Diaz in a photo lineup.

Diaz, who is described as homeless in the arrest report, has been charged with attempted sexual battery. He has no local criminal history and no state prison records; according to his arrest report, he was born in New York. Judge Gloria Walker ordered him held without bail pending a hearing on a motion from the State Attorney’s Office to hold him without bail until trial; if the judge denies the motion, bail will be set at that hearing.

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. .