Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Brantley Jim Edward Gardner, 35, was arrested yesterday after police said he punched a man who had waved at his girlfriend.
According to the Gainesville Police Department, an officer was called at about 7 p.m. on August 4 to a redacted location that appears to be GRACE Marketplace. The first victim told police he had just been dropped off when he thought he recognized a woman and waved at her, only to realize moments later that he did not know her. He said a man then approached him, yelling that he should not touch or talk to his girlfriend. As the victim turned to walk away, the man allegedly struck him in the back of the head, leaving redness in that area.
A second victim reportedly told the officer that after Gardner hit the first man, he told Gardner he should not have done that in front of the office gate. Gardner, who was still upset, allegedly yelled at the second victim and then suddenly punched him in the face. The officer reported seeing an open cut on the second victim’s face.
The officer later saw Gardner walking back toward the front gate and detained him. Gardner reportedly made spontaneous statements, saying he hit the first victim because the man had pointed at his girlfriend and he believed she was being threatened. He also reportedly said he hit the second victim because that man was yelling at him and his girlfriend and using racial slurs. Gardner told police he was defending his girlfriend from the two victims.
The officer reported that surveillance footage showed the first victim waving at someone outside the camera’s view before Gardner approached and yelled at him. The video reportedly showed the first victim turning to walk away before Gardner punched him in the back of the head. The second alleged battery was not captured on video.
Gardner, who told Court Services he has been in the Gainesville area for two weeks and lives at GRACE Marketplace, was charged with battery. Court records list eight felony convictions, including one violent felony, and 11 misdemeanor convictions, including two violent misdemeanors. Judge Meshon Rawls set his bail at $5,000.
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.
