A man was accused of chasing after a homeless man with a knife Wednesday afternoon.
Darrell Vernard Sirmans, 54, of Gainesville, was accused of pulling out a knife on a homeless man after Sirmans hurled racial slurs at him on a crosswalk on the 4000 block of Southwest Archer Road, according to a Gainesville Police arrest report.
Sirmans was walking in the opposite direction of the man at about 1 p.m., the report said. The man told police that Sirmans started calling him slurs and obscenities near McDonald’s.
The man responded to Sirmans with similar obscenities, the report said.
After arguing for a moment, Sirmans pulled out a knife from the small of his back with the blade exposed, the report said.
The man told police Sirmans started walking toward him with the knife. The man was afraid and ran away, but Sirmans chased after him, police said.
The man ran into a gas station and called for help. Sirmans stopped chasing him and walked back across the street, the report said.
Police found Sirmans nearby. He admitted to arguing with the man but denied having a knife, the report said. Police found a knife on the ground near the rest of Sirmans’ belongings.
Sirmans is charged with aggravated assault. He is being held in the Alachua County Jail in lieu of a $5,000 bond.
Contact Jessica Curbelo at jcurbelo@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter at @jesscurbelo
