Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Christopher Evan Luca, 38, was arrested early this morning and charged with domestic battery by strangulation, false imprisonment, domestic felony battery as a repeat offender, trespassing, resisting an officer without violence, and fleeing from a police officer after allegedly fleeing at high speed from officers in a tow truck.

Gainesville Police Department officers responded to a call about a man choking a woman at about 12:45 a.m., an incident that was reportedly witnessed by another resident of her apartment building. The witness reported that after he interrupted the incident, the man drove away at a high rate of speed in a tow truck.

An officer tried to conduct a traffic stop on the tow truck, but the driver reportedly “made no apparent effort to stop driving,” including running a red light. Officers ended the pursuit because of the risk to the general public.

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At about 1:10 a.m., officers found the tow truck outside Luca’s residence; officers saw Luca walking nearby and ordered him to stop walking away, but Luca reportedly ran away from officers before being Tasered and taken into custody.

Post Miranda, Luca denied touching the woman.

Luca has a previous conviction for domestic battery, making this charge a felony. He has four misdemeanor domestic battery convictions and is also facing a child abuse charge stemming from a March 2023 arrest.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.