Gainesville Police arrested a man in their station lobby Thursday night after he allegedly threatened to kill the officers.
Joseph Roberts, 36, flagged down a GPD patrol car at a stop sign at Northwest Eighth Avenue around 8:30 p.m.
Roberts asked the officer to roll down the window and then said, “If y’all task force don’t leave me the f--- alone, I will kill all of them. I’m going to start with the chief,” according to the arrest report.
Roberts then drove down the street and parked in the GPD parking lot, located at 545 NW Eighth Ave., and got out of his car with a pair of scissors in one hand and a steak knife in the other.
As he walked down the sidewalk to the lobby, he allegedly put the weapons in his pocket.
The officers from the patrol car ordered Roberts to stop, but he reportedly ignored their commands.
Instead, he turned to them and pulled out a black pocket knife. Roberts was about 10 feet away from them with the knife pointed in their direction.
Roberts then turned and ran toward the lobby. According to a GPD press release, two other officers exited the building at that time and immediately moved to create distance from Roberts.
Despite more commands to stop, Roberts ran toward the lobby and one of the officers while wielding a knife. According to the arrest report, he was yelling at the officer, “I warned you. I warned you.”
According to the press release, Roberts entered the lobby and hid his weapons again. While at the front desk, he pulled out the two knives and rubbed the blades together, reportedly asking for the chief.
Officers confronted Roberts. When Roberts refused to drop the knives, one of the officers used his Taser. Roberts attempted to resist arrest, according to the report, but was taken into custody.
Roberts initially denied holding the knives in his hands but admitted he did have a knife and scissors in his pocket. According to the press release, he stated he warned the chief beforehand and wanted the taskforce to stop monitoring his electronic devices.
According to Alachua County Jail records, Roberts is being held for multiple counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer. His bond is set at $40,000.
Follow Jessica Curbelo on Twitter @jesscurbelo and contact her at jcurbelo@alligator.org.
