Virginia man arrested for damaging gas pump with machete, throwing rocks at gas station owner

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Daniel Austin Rawles, 30, of Virginia Beach, VA, was arrested yesterday and charged with property damage and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after allegedly damaging a gas pump with a machete and throwing softball-sized rocks at the gas station owner.

At about 4:03 p.m. on Thursday, a Gainesville Police Department Officer responded to the Exxon Food Mart at 3001 NW 13th Street. The gas station owner reportedly told the officer that Rawles had caused $10,000 in damage to a gas pump with a machete; the owner said the entire computer on the pump was destroyed. The owner said he went outside to see what was going on, and Rawles began throwing softball-sized rocks at him, causing him to retreat to the parking lot of the nearby fire station for safety.

The victim said a bystander moved between him and Rawles to protect him, and then Rawles drove away northbound on NW 13th Street. Rawles was stopped a few blocks away, and the victim positively identified him as the man who had attacked him. Another witness also reportedly made a positive identification of Rawles as the man who hit the gas pump and attacked the victim.

While being transported to the police station, Rawles reportedly said that “they” were messing with his food.

According to court documents, Rawles has been in the area for about three weeks and is unemployed. He has an unspecified out-of-state criminal history from 2013 to 2022. Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $50,000.

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.