Having lived in Florida for the majority of my life, I can attest to the fact that the Florida Man stereotype is very real. It’s not common, but it’s definitely real.
A man from Jacksonville was arrested and charged with aggravated assault after shooting a JTA bus on the morning of June 30. Apparently, he felt it was a just reaction to not being let onto the bus because he couldn’t pay the fare.
Unfortunately, an official police report could not be located via local and state police records that are available to the public. However, according to News4JAX, the man was kicked off the bus and was later witnessed walking along the sidewalk.
Shortly after seeing him, the bus driver said she heard three gunshots and immediately stopped the bus at a safe location. Other passengers were also on the bus when this occurred.
Apparently, Getting Kicked off the Bus Wasn’t the End of It
According to the news report, the man walked up to a bus at the Kings Avenue Transit Station on Riverplace Boulevard at 9 am on June 30. It seems like he tried to pull a fast one on the driver and grab a seat without having to pay the fare.
The driver noticed, which then sparked an argument with other passengers, forcing the man to step off. But this must have only fueled the man’s anger because he shot three times.
It turned out that the shots didn’t hit the bus at all, but instead, a Buses Only sign. When investigators arrived on the scene after being called by the bus driver, shell casings couldn’t be found.
Investigators Eventually Tracked Him Down
Fortunately, the guy was able to be tracked down, apparently wearing the same clothes that he was wearing at the time of the incident, judging by the fact that it was reported he was found based on a description.
Once arrested, he was officially charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without the intent to kill and tampering with evidence. If convicted of these crimes, he could face up to 15 years in prison and $15,000 in potential fines.
As explained at the beginning, an official police report could not be obtained, and the information presented is based on an article by local news sources. The suspect’s name was not revealed.
As with all criminal cases, the suspect is considered innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.