GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Jackell Aaron-Rashone Harris, 18, was arrested after allegedly damaging a passing vehicle on NW 98th Street. According to a responding deputy, a caller also reported that Harris may have tried to carjack one or more motorists.
Alachua County Sheriff’s deputies were called to the 1300 block of NW 98th Street at approximately 9:26 a.m. October 4. Callers described a shirtless, slim Black male running in the roadway, damaging a passing vehicle and possibly attempting to force at least one driver out of a car.
A deputy contacted the reported victim, who pointed north and said the suspect had fled in that direction. Harris was located a short distance away, sweating and breathing heavily. When asked whether he had been involved, Harris reportedly acknowledged that he had, but claimed the victim’s vehicle accidentally struck him as he attempted to cross the road. The deputy said Harris did not follow commands to keep his hands visible and was taken into custody in handcuffs.
After being read his Miranda rights, Harris reportedly told deputies that he and his girlfriend had been traveling to a service at Westside Baptist Church. He said his girlfriend had been driving before pulling over and letting him out so he could walk the remainder of the way. Asked why they had not entered the church parking lot, Harris reportedly said they had made a wrong turn and that his girlfriend was upset with him and refused to pull in.
Harris reportedly said he stepped into the roadway in front of the victim’s vehicle because he expected the driver to yield. Instead, he said, the vehicle continued forward and struck him in the shoulder, causing him to spin around.
The victim told deputies he was driving north on NW 98th Street while his wife traveled several car lengths ahead. She reportedly noticed a vehicle stopped along the roadside and a shirtless man running back and forth in traffic, apparently attempting to stop passing cars. After calling her husband to warn him, she saw him crest the hill and encounter Harris moving toward the front of his vehicle. The victim said he was forced to stop, after which Harris approached the passenger side and struck the right side mirror, breaking it. The deputy reported that the vehicle damage was consistent with the victim’s account.
The victim said he drove away to put space between himself and Harris. However, he reported that Harris and the vehicle previously parked on the roadside appeared to follow him. He then made a U-turn and pulled into the Westside Baptist Church parking lot, where he called 911.
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While deputies were investigating, individuals from Covenant Presbyterian Church approached them and reported seeing a man matching Harris’s description running around the northern side of the church property.
When asked whether he had entered the Presbyterian church grounds, Harris reportedly said he ran onto the property while attempting to follow the victim and confront him about the collision. Harris told the deputy that the victim had driven in the opposite direction and entered a neighborhood across the road. The deputy said Harris could not explain why he ran onto the church property.
The deputy examined Harris’s shoulder, where he claimed the vehicle had struck him, but found no bruising, abrasions, scratches or other recent injuries. Harris did have a bruise on his left palm, which the deputy said was consistent with striking a hard surface. Harris reportedly told the deputy that he is left-handed.
Although Harris said he had been on his way to a service at Westside Baptist Church, he reportedly could not state when the service began until he looked at a sign listing the church’s service times.
A court document describes Harris as homeless. He faces a misdemeanor property-damage charge. Harris has a 2024 juvenile conviction and was arrested in May after allegedly threatening to stab his mother when she woke him for school. That case was later dropped at his mother’s request after she said the incident was a misunderstanding that escalated. He also faces a sworn complaint tied to a September 13 incident in which he allegedly became angry with his mother, shattered the rear window of her car and dented its trunk, although he has not been booked on that allegation. Judge Joy Danne ordered Harris released on his own recognizance.