Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Jose Alfredo Zabala, Jr., 43, was arrested yesterday after allegedly displaying a gun during a traffic dispute on NE Waldo Road.
At approximately 6:26 p.m. on May 11, a deputy from the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report about a firearm being shown in the 5200 block of NE Waldo Road.
The complainant stated that while he was seated in the passenger seat of a vehicle making a U-turn on Waldo Road, a man in a blue Kia cut them off and abruptly braked. Both vehicles ended up stopping on the road, leading to an argument between the complainant and the suspect. The complainant remained inside his car, but the suspect briefly exited his vehicle before returning and displaying a black firearm upright before driving off. The complainant noted that the gun was not pointed directly at him.
After providing a description and the license plate of the suspect’s vehicle, a deputy spotted the car at the intersection of NE Waldo Road and NE 39th Avenue while en route to the scene. The deputy then followed the vehicle to a Walmart parking lot located on NE 12th Avenue.
Click here for video of the apprehension of Zabala in the Walmart parking lot.
A black firearm with a full magazine but no round in the chamber was reportedly recovered from Zabala’s car.
Zabala, whose address is listed as Palm Coast and who has only been in Alachua County for one day, has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He has no criminal convictions. Judge Susan Miller-Jones ordered him held without bail pending a hearing on a motion from the State Attorney’s office to hold him without bail until trial.
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.
