Staff Report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A 21-year-old Pompano Beach resident, Yashad Dashawn Jackson, has been taken into custody following an incident where he allegedly attempted to collect a debt from the wrong individual. Despite acknowledging his error, Jackson reportedly continued to extort money and ultimately broke into an apartment, holding its occupants at gunpoint.

According to the Gainesville Police Department, the events began on April 6 when a man was approached at his apartment complex by an unidentified individual wielding a firearm. The intruder claimed that the man’s boyfriend owed him $50. Fearing for his safety, the man accompanied Jackson to a nearby ATM, withdrew the money, and handed it over. Jackson allegedly assured him that this settled the matter.

However, the man later discovered from his boyfriend that no such debt existed.

Two days later, on April 8, Jackson allegedly returned, demanding additional money from the same victim. In an effort to resolve the situation, the victim brought his boyfriend outside and asked Jackson to confirm whether he was the person who owed the debt. Jackson reportedly admitted that the boyfriend was not the debtor but insisted that someone else fitting the description had been present in front of the victim’s apartment during their initial encounter. Jackson purportedly told the victim it was now his responsibility to settle the supposed debt.

In an attempt to assist in identifying the actual debtor, the victim exchanged phone numbers with Jackson.

At about 6:20 p.m. on April 15, the same man allegedly entered the first victim’s apartment at Garden View Apartments (2220 SW 34th St.) and confronted four people who were inside. The man allegedly closed the apartment door, plugged his cell phone into an outlet, and demanded $200 from the victims.

When the first victim said he didn’t owe the man any money, the man allegedly pulled a gun from his pocket and then started collecting cell phones from the victims; when the second victim told the first victim not to pay, the man allegedly pointed the gun at her and threatened to shoot her.

The first victim said he persuaded the man to give him an hour to get the money and asked the man to give back his phone so he could access his accounts; the man reportedly agreed and left the apartment, saying the victims had one hour to get the money. The man allegedly took the third victim’s phone with him.

The first victim reportedly did not want to involve law enforcement, so he contacted a friend to borrow money, and the friend called the police.

All four victims reportedly provided consistent stories about the man entering the apartment and taking phones at gunpoint.

The officer reported that no records were found for the phone number the man gave to the first victim, but the man also reportedly sent emails to the first victim after leaving the apartment; the messages reportedly said, “Who called the cops man I thought we were good,” “Look man mybad if I got hostile but no police bro,” and “Put the money on ur card and send it to me.”

The officer reported that the email address was associated with a PayPal account under Jackson’s name, and a search of the driver’s license database found a man with that name who matched the description provided by the victims. The officer placed Jackson’s photo in a six-person photo lineup, and all three victims reportedly identified Jackson as the man who had committed the home invasion robbery.

On April 29, one of the victims reportedly saw Jackson in the Garden View apartment complex and reported that he entered an apartment that was supposed to be vacant.

Patrol units made announcements outside the apartment for about an hour, and then an employee of the apartment complex provided consent for a search of the apartment.

Officers reportedly made more announcements at the front door of the apartment and warned that a K-9 would be deployed if Jackson didn’t come out; when Jackson did not come out, the K-9 reportedly found him hiding inside the dishwasher.

A search of Jackson’s backpack reportedly produced a 9mm handgun that was reported stolen in Gainesville on March 29, 6.4 grams of marijuana, and two pills that tested positive for methamphetamine.

Post Miranda, Jackson reportedly said he believed the pills were Ecstasy; the arrest report for the home invasion robbery did not provide any information about post-Miranda statements about that incident.

Jackson, whose address is listed as Pompano Beach, has been charged with home invasion robbery with a firearm, extortion, possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, grand theft of a firearm, armed trespassing, possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana, and resisting an officer without violence. He has an unspecified juvenile conviction from 2019 and two traffic convictions; he also has an active traffic warrant out of Broward County. Judge Meshon Rawls 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.