Florida man accused of wielding weapon after truck repossessed
MARION COUNTY, Fla. —
A Marion County man was arrested Tuesday after allegedly wielding a weapon during a confrontation with two men attempting to repossess his truck in an Ocala neighborhood.
According to an arrest report from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, 54-year-old Clifford Duvall allegedly pulled out what was described as a tomahawk or machete while the men were attempting to tow his truck.
The report states Duvall initially came outside and told the men to stop before getting inside the truck.
“I jumped in my truck to stop them from doing what they were doing, and I asked them three times before I got in the truck, ‘Please stop doing what you’re doing,'” Duvall said in body-camera footage.
When Duvall exited the truck, he was holding the weapon, which the sheriff’s office described as metal and “capable of causing serious harm,” according to the arrest report.
Duvall is accused of removing the object’s sheath, approaching the men, and pointing the weapon at them.
“I got out and I said, ‘Please, let it down. Please let it down.’ I never threatened them (that) I’d kill them or anything like that. That’s a lie,” Duvall said.
The arrest report states Duvall swung the weapon and struck the metal cable pulling the truck. A video not yet released by the sheriff’s office reportedly shows him coming within a few feet of the victims while wielding the weapon.
“You’re pointing at them at least with it, right?” a deputy asked Duvall in body-camera footage.
“I pointed at that and that controller he was using and that’s it, and that’s it. That’s it. I never pointed at him or swung at him or him. I was talking like this. That’s it,” Duvall said.
Despite his statements, Duvall was detained and ultimately arrested. He was booked into the Marion County Jail on two felony charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill.