Truck drivers square off with a baseball bat and a gun

Friday, June 9

Dusty duct dispute

12:04 p.m., 2300 block of Central Avenue

Dispute: An apartment resident was engaged in a dispute with the property manager over her HVAC ductwork not being cleaned. The dispatched officer made contact with the manager who called police for assistance as the resident had been yelling at her and refused to leave.

The manager advised that the resident had been instructed to run the air conditioning during the summer months, but she refused to do so until the ducts were cleaned. The officer asked the manager if she wanted the tenant trespassed from the building but was told that residents there cannot be evicted. The resident could not be located by the officer either at her apartment or on the grounds. No further action was taken.

Dashboard assault

10:29 p.m., 2500 block of North Tamiami Trail

Assault: A reported physical altercation inside a vehicle between a male and female at a gas station turned out to be a case of a man beating the dashboard of his car. An officer met with a woman who said she had been in a verbal altercation with her ex-boyfriend and that the argument started over him drinking. 

The man had left the scene before police arrived. The woman had no visible injuries. It was determined no crime had been committed and the report was filed for documentation purposes only.

Sunday, June 11

Husband’s DOB unknown

6:53 p.m., 3500 block of Cheshire Square 

Dispute: A woman called police to her apartment in reference to a dispute. An officer met with the complainant who advised her husband had left the residence after a dispute over him smelling of cigarette smoke. The woman could not provide her husband's date of birth to confirm his identity. 

During the argument, the complainant said her husband grabbed a case of beer and left in an unknown vehicle. She said he did not possess a driver’s license and might be intoxicated. She asked police to locate him and arrest him on these offenses. The man could not be located and no further action was taken.

Tuesday, June 13

Gun found in hotel

5:11 p.m., 1100 block of Ritz Carlton Drive

Found property: After a hotel housekeeper found a handgun left in a vacated room, management called police to investigate. The officer met with a manager and was informed that a handgun loaded with one magazine of 14 rounds was found in a dresser drawer. There was not a round in the chamber.

A check of a handgun database returned no negative results. The officer left a voicemail with the hotel guest and advised him the firearm would be placed in property/evidence holding for safe keeping. 

Wednesday, June 14

Bat vs. gun

9:16 a.m., near the intersection of North Washington Boulevard and 20th Street

Dispute: When a baseball bat-wielding truck driver was met with another holding a gun, officers were dispatched to the scene where they spoke to each party separately. The complainant, a semi-truck driver, said he was having his trailer unloaded when another trucker pulled into the area, blew his horn and asked the complainant to move so his trailer was not out in the roadway. 

Taking offense to the demand, the complainant approached the second truck with a baseball bat. That driver then brandished a firearm and told the complainant to back away. The two men then separated until police arrived. Officers determined the man showing his weapon, but not pointing it at his would-be assailant, was a reasonable response. The gun owner has a conceal-carry permit with no negative reports. Officers stayed on scene until the complainant’s truck was unloaded and he departed.