Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – David Conrad Waddell, 43, of Cape Coral, was arrested yesterday for allegedly trying to hit three people with his car after a road rage incident.

At about 5:48 p.m. on March 13, a Gainesville Police Department officer responded to the 1600 block of SW 16th Avenue, where the victims and witnesses said there was a road rage incident that resulted in a crash. Witness accounts varied regarding the order of events after the crash, but one of the victims was reportedly hit by Waddell’s car and broke a window on Waddell’s car with a crow bar, and Waddell allegedly tried to hit three people with his car.

The first victim reportedly said that he confronted Waddell after the crash, and Waddell drove away but then looped back and tried to hit all three victims with his car. At one point, the first victim was hit by Waddell’s car, ended up on the hood, and cracked the windshield while trying to get down. The first victim said he picked up a crowbar and later smashed the rear driver-side window of Waddell’s car when Waddell drove past again. The officer noted that the first victim had a minor laceration on his hand, and a bloody handprint was found on Waddell’s car.

The second victim said that after the confrontation between Waddell and the first victim, Waddell drove aggressively in loops around the victims, trying to hit them. The second victim said the first victim was hit during one of the loops, and he slid up on the hood before falling off; the second victim said that when Waddell looped back around again and stopped, the first victim broke the window with a crowbar.

The third victim reportedly provided a similar account.

Post Miranda, Waddell reportedly said that after the crash, all the cars pulled into a turn lane, and he stayed in his car while the first victim approached, slammed his hands on Waddell’s car, yelled, and tried to open the door. Waddell said he pushed the first victim back with the door several times before the first victim grabbed a crowbar and smashed one of his windows, which prompted him to drive away. He said that when the victims approached his wife, who was in a separate car, he returned, and the first victim jumped on his hood and punched the windshield, cracking it. He said he only circled back twice.

Waddell’s wife reportedly said she and a passenger watched the altercation between Waddell and the victims to make sure her husband was okay, but she did not recall seeing a crowbar, and she did not say anything about a crowbar being used. She also said she didn’t recall the victims approaching her during the incident.

The passenger in Waddell’s wife’s car reportedly gave a similar account and said she saw the first victim try to open Waddell’s car door.

Other witnesses reportedly said they saw Waddell driving erratically, making U-turns in traffic and almost causing several accidents. They all reportedly said it looked like Waddell was trying to hit the victims with his vehicle and the victims had to run away to avoid being hit. One witness said the victims never approached Waddell’s wife; instead, they ran away from her car while avoiding being hit by Waddell. Several of the witnesses reportedly said that the first victim intentionally jumped on Waddell’s car while it was completely stopped.

The officer reported that after weighing all of the accounts and “weighing the independent witnesses’ accounts heavily,” he believed that Waddell intentionally drove his car in a reckless and threatening manner, causing the victims to fear for their safety.

Waddell has been charged with three counts of aggravated assault. His full criminal history is currently unavailable, but he served one prison sentence for manslaughter out of Lee County and was released in 2003; Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $225,000.

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.