Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In a dramatic turn of events, Ahmadric Tyree Stone, 27, found himself under arrest after allegedly leaping from a vehicle during a police stop, leading the car to collide with a parked vehicle. Subsequent investigations uncovered drugs along his escape route, compounding the charges against him.
On the evening of April 3, around 8:38 p.m., deputies from the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office initiated a traffic stop on a gray Volkswagen Golf at the Southern Pines Apartments located at 4200 SW 17th Place. The officers stopped the vehicle due to an expired license plate and because they suspected Stone, who was driving despite having a suspended license. Their suspicion arose from witnessing a man resembling Stone enter and operate the vehicle.
In a related observation, a deputy noted that the car’s owner had earlier reported a man with a noticeable forehead bulge, known by the nickname “Zoo,” as the driver, though the owner refrained from declaring the vehicle stolen. Coincidentally, Stone is known for a distinctive forehead bulge and is also referred to by the same nickname.
Upon activating their lights for the traffic stop, the Golf reportedly continued to move slowly through the apartment parking lot before veering toward a group of parked cars where several people were gathered. Stone allegedly abandoned the moving vehicle, causing it to crash into a parked car occupied by multiple individuals, while others stood nearby. The collision resulted in damage to both vehicles.
Deputies gave chase as Stone fled on foot, eventually jumping over a fence into the Pinetree Gardens area, prompting officers to set up a perimeter in pursuit of the suspect.
A short time later, Stone was seen jumping the fence back into Southern Pines Apartments, and deputies heard an elderly woman screaming; deputies reportedly found Stone in the screened front porch of the woman’s apartment, and he was detained. The woman told deputies that Stone entered her porch without permission, knocked on her door repeatedly, and tried to hide there, but she did not want to press charges.
Along Stone’s flight path, deputies reportedly found the keys to the Golf, next to four packages containing 3.8 grams of fentanyl ( just under the trafficking threshold of 4 grams) and 2.3 grams of crack cocaine. A deputy noted that the amounts exceeded typical amounts for personal use and were consistent with street-level narcotics sales. The placement of the drugs next to the keys established constructive possession of the drugs.
The owner of the vehicle that was hit in the parking lot did not want to press charges, but the owner of the Golf wanted to pursue a hit-and-run charge.
Post Miranda, Stone reportedly apologized multiple times and said he fled because he knew he was on probation following a DUI conviction and knew that his license was suspended, and he was scared of going back to jail. He said the emergency lights “startled” him, and he reacted in an “impulsive” manner. He reportedly acknowledged that he should not have fled from deputies and said he knew how serious his actions were. He denied dropping any drugs but confirmed that the keys belonged to the Golf he was driving; he said he had been driving the car for at least a couple of days.
Stone, who is described as homeless in court documents and whose address is listed as GRACE Marketplace, has been charged with fleeing with a disregard for persons or property, possession of fentanyl with intent to sell, possession of cocaine with intent to sell, maintaining a vehicle for the purpose of selling drugs, tampering with evidence, leaving the scene of an accident with property damage, resisting an officer without violence, possession of drug paraphernalia, and driving with a suspended license.
Stone has five felony convictions (one violent) and two criminal traffic convictions (a DUI and a hit and run); he is on probation for DUI. He has served one state prison sentence for armed robbery and was released in 2024. Judge William Davis set bail at $190,000.
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
