Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Last night, Jose Dario Garcia, 21, and Khaled Barry Philidor, 19, were apprehended while attempting to flee after law enforcement was called to address a brawl at Sweetwater Square Apartments. Michael Garcia, 17, was also detained as a juvenile on at least one felony count, along with another unnamed juvenile suspect.

At approximately 9:31 p.m. on May 15, the group of four was allegedly present during a major altercation at Sweetwater Square Apartments, located at 3101 NE 15th Street. As police arrived, the four individuals escaped across NE 15th Street. Jose Garcia, Philidor, and the unnamed juvenile are accused of jumping over a residence fence on NE 14th Street, inflicting around $3,000 in fence damages. Michael Garcia, in contrast, reportedly took another route, avoiding the fence.

The property owner purportedly noticed the group reconvening on NE 31st Place and proceeding southward. Around the same time, an Alachua County Sheriff’s Office helicopter identified their location. Officers from the Gainesville Police Department engaged the group at the junction of NE 13th Street and NE 31st Place. When instructed to halt, Philidor and Michael Garcia allegedly reached for their waistbands, but when ordered to remove their hands, they reportedly complied and were subsequently detained.

Philidor and Michael Garcia reportedly told officers they had guns, and a stolen Springfield XD5 was reportedly found in the front waistband of Philidor’s pants. A Glock 43x was reportedly found in the front waistband of Michael Garcia’s pants.

Philidor also allegedly had a marijuana “blunt” tucked behind his ear, and the unnamed juvenile spontaneously stated that he also had marijuana; officers reportedly found about 2.6 grams of marijuana in his pocket.

Post Miranda, Jose Garcia reportedly said he had been at Sweetwater Square during the fight, and his hand was injured by a glass bottle that was thrown during the fight. He said they fled when officers arrived and jumped a fence; he said he did not know who broke the fence. He said he met up with the other three defendants, and they walked until they were stopped by officers. He said he was unaware that Michael Garcia and Philidor had guns. The officer noted that Jose Garcia was bleeding heavily from the cut on his hand and the broken fence had “a large amount” of blood on it.

Post Miranda, Michael Garcia reportedly said he had been at Sweetwater Square during the fight and had fled when officers arrived. He said that while the other three defendants jumped a fence, he ran through a separate yard and went around before meeting up with the others on NE 31st Place, where they walked westbound. He reportedly said he knew he was not supposed to have a gun because he is a juvenile and stated that it was concealed in his waistband and covered by his shirt. He said he had found the gun under a bench at Biven’s Cove Apartments (3301 SW 13th Street).

Post Miranda, Philidor reportedly said he had been at Sweetwater Square during the fight and had fled when officers arrived. He said three of them jumped a fence, but he was unaware that they had caused any damage, and he confirmed that Michael Garcia had not jumped the fence. He said they met back up on NE 31st Street and started walking before being confronted by officers. He reportedly said he had purchased the gun from an unknown man in Jacksonville and did not know it was stolen. He reportedly admitted that he had a marijuana “blunt” behind his ear and said he did not know Michael Garcia had a gun.

Post Miranda, the unnamed juvenile also said he had been at Sweetwater Square and had fled over a fence; he said he did not know who broke the fence. He said he was unaware that Michael Garcia and Philidor had guns, and he admitted having marijuana, which officers reportedly found in his pocket.

Jose Garcia has been charged with felony property damage. He has a juvenile criminal history between 2013 and 2020 and two traffic misdemeanor convictions. Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $20,000.

Philidor has been charged with possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, grand theft of a firearm, felony property damage, and possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana. He has no criminal history; Judge Miller-Jones set bail at $150,000.

Charges, criminal histories, and release conditions are unavailable for the juveniles, but Michael Garcia was arrested on at least one felony charge related to possession of a firearm by a juvenile.

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.