ALACHUA, Fla. – Angel Gabriel Rivera, 56, was arrested Sunday after deputies said he stabbed a man with a screwdriver during an argument about power being supplied to a shed.
Alachua County Sheriff’s deputies were called at about 6:17 p.m. on September 7 to a home on NW 84th Place, off State Road 27/41. When they arrived, they found the victim suffering from a puncture wound to his stomach.
According to a witness, the victim had been mowing the grass when a dispute with Rivera escalated. She reportedly told deputies she heard yelling, then saw Rivera make a stabbing motion before the victim fell to the ground. Afterward, she said, Rivera kept yelling at the victim and stated, “They were telling me to kill you.” The witness said she ran outside to help, at which point Rivera yelled at her, fled, and threw the screwdriver.
The victim also told a deputy that Rivera stabbed him in the stomach with a screwdriver. He said Rivera tried to stab him again while he was on the ground, but he kicked Rivera away before the witness came outside.
Deputies reported that Rivera spontaneously said he had argued with the victim because power to his shed on the property had been shut off, and he claimed he had to defend himself. After being read his Miranda rights, Rivera reportedly declined to answer questions.
Rivera has been charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and tampering with evidence. He has no criminal convictions. He was arrested in July 2026 after allegedly kicking two police officers who were trying to remove him from a convenience store in High Springs after the store requested their assistance, but that case can no longer be found in the court system. Judge Susan Miller-Jones ordered him held without bail pending a hearing on a motion from the State Attorney’s Office to hold him without bail until trial; if the judge denies the motion, bail will be set at that hearing.