Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Andrew Manuel Cabeza, aged 38 and a Hawthorne resident, was taken into custody yesterday after allegedly threatening to shoot someone following a traffic accident. He reportedly pursued the individual to a construction site, continuing to issue threats to those present. Cabeza had been cautioned recently that his behavior of threatening other drivers with shooting could lead to arrest.
On July 10, a police officer from Gainesville responded to a construction site located near the intersection of SW Archer Road and SW 37th Boulevard. The victim informed the officer that after the crash, which occurred around 12:20 p.m., Cabeza had threatened to shoot him.
The officer noted that dash cam footage from Cabeza’s vehicle captured the accident and soon after, Cabeza could be heard outside the vehicle, yelling at the victim with threats of, “I will shoot you.”
The victim reportedly drove to the construction site, about two blocks from the crash, because he was in fear for his life, but Cabeza allegedly went to the construction site and pointed his gun at some of the construction crew and said he would shoot them. Cabeza was reportedly pulled away from the construction site by his brother, and the crew at the construction site reportedly did not want to be victims of a crime.
A search incident to arrest reportedly produced a CO2-powered air pistol that looks like a real firearm “and could cause great bodily harm or death,” according to the arresting officer.
Post Miranda, Cabeza reportedly admitted that he had jumped out of his vehicle and pulled his gun, saying he would shoot the victim. He reportedly said at first that he did this because the victim was leaving the scene of the crash, but he later said he thought the victim was going to run over his brother. The officer reported that the victim did not back up his vehicle or attempt to leave until Cabeza pulled a gun on him.
The officer reported that another officer had spoken to Cabeza about a week ago after a similar incident in which Cabeza thought someone was driving too aggressively and pulled the same gun on that person while driving in traffic. The officer said he warned Cabeza that he could go to jail for pointing a gun at someone, but the other driver did not want to be a victim of a crime, so he was not arrested. The officer reported that he talked to Cabeza “extensively, cautioning him of his behavior due to the fact that someone could have a real gun and could harm him, as well as the possible legal ramifications of his actions.”
Cabeza has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He has an unspecified criminal history in another county between 2006 and 2014, but no local criminal convictions. Judge Denise Ferrero 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.
