By Staff Reporter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In the early hours today, Gainesville Police arrested 23-year-old Carlos Sebastian Rios-Jimenez, following allegations that he brandished a gun at two bouncers engaged in a scuffle with a patron outside a bar near the University of Florida campus.
The incident unfolded around 3:22 a.m. on May 2, when a police officer responded to a call on the 1700 block of West University Avenue. The bouncers involved recounted that they were managing a situation with a patron who had instigated a fight, resulting in one of them being struck in the face.
Rios-Jimenez reportedly parked his vehicle and tried to intervene by waving a firearm, causing alarm among the bouncers. Fearing for their safety, they watched as he attempted to diffuse the situation with the weapon in hand.
After the confrontation, Rios-Jimenez allegedly returned to his car and drove away from the scene.
A witness corroborated the bouncers’ account, explaining that Rios-Jimenez appeared unexpectedly and attempted to quell the altercation verbally. When his words failed to de-escalate the situation, the witness said he lifted his shirt to reveal a gun, commenting that a “1 v. 3” fight was unfair. However, the witness could not recall if Rios-Jimenez actually drew the weapon.
Post Miranda, Rios-Jimenez reportedly said he saw the fight and wanted to help because it “wasn’t right.” He said he tried to separate the parties, but when his attempts were unsuccessful, he pulled out his gun and told the victims to stop. He said he left after the parties separated.
Rios-Jimenez, who is a Peruvian citizen according to the arrest report, has no local criminal convictions, but he has a court hearing on May 4 for a Notice to Appear for reckless driving with property damage or personal injury and refusing to sign a citation. Judge Mitchell Bishop 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.
