Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Christopher Akiva Jenkins, 53, was taken into custody early Monday after authorities said he threatened two family members with a hammer.
According to police, a 16-year-old girl called 911 at approximately 5:18 a.m. on November 9. She reported that Jenkins had attempted to strike her and an adult woman with a hammer inside their apartment. The adult victim told officers that Jenkins had been drinking and making threats toward both of them.
Gainesville Police Department officers arrived at the home and escorted the victims to safety. Police said Jenkins refused several orders to leave the apartment.
The victims told investigators that they occupy one room in the apartment while Jenkins stays in another. On Monday morning, they said, Jenkins entered their room and began arguing with them. He allegedly leaned over the teenage girl and pressed his fist against her jaw. The girl reportedly punched him in the stomach to force him away.
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Jenkins allegedly left the room, then returned a short time later carrying a hammer. The victims said he swung the tool as though he intended to strike them and threatened them with it. Both told police they feared Jenkins would hit them.
Police said Jenkins remained inside the apartment for roughly 30 minutes, opening the front door several times to shout at officers. At about 5:50 a.m., he eventually came outside. Officers ordered him to get on the ground, but he allegedly refused until an officer used a Taser.
Jenkins consented to a search of his room, where officers reportedly found a hammer.
Jenkins faces two counts of domestic aggravated assault, domestic battery and resisting an officer without violence. His criminal record includes one nonviolent felony conviction and one violent misdemeanor conviction. He previously served a state prison sentence and was released in 2023. Judge Susan Miller-Jones set his bail at $200,000.
Arrest reports are accounts provided by law enforcement agencies. The charges described in this article come from the arrest report and/or court records and represent allegations only. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
