Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – De’angelo Roshmel Williams, 24, was arrested yesterday morning and charged with multiple gun offenses after allegedly fleeing at high speed on Williston Road.

At about 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, law enforcement officers patrolling on Williston Road saw a car with dark window tint and attempted to pull the car over at the entrance to The Polos. The car initially pulled over but then accelerated and drove away westbound at about 55 mph on Williston Road.

The car, still followed by law enforcement, reportedly accelerated as it approached SW 34th Street, so officers disengaged but saw the car enter I-75 northbound. An alert for the car was issued.

At about 10:37 a.m., Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputies saw the car exit I-75 at Archer Road and pull into the parking lot of Drury Inn and Suites. Deputies reportedly saw a man get out of the car and run behind the hotel.

A witness at the scene reported that the man threw several items behind some bushes.

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Deputies found Williams hiding behind a trash can; as deputies contacted him, Williams allegedly threw car keys into the trash can.

A search along Williams’ path reportedly produced a baggie with 3.3 grams of marijuana and a Ruger 9mm handgun in an inside-the-waistband holster. The gun had been reported stolen in Gainesville on June 23, 2023, and was loaded with eight roads of ammunition.

Williams has been charged with fleeing from law enforcement, marijuana possession, tampering with evidence, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, grand theft of a firearm, and eight counts of possession of ammunition by a convicted felon.

Williams has 13 felony convictions (none violent) and four misdemeanor convictions (none violent). He was released from state prison in March 2023 after serving 15 months on charges of fleeing, resisting arrest, marijuana possession, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and driving without a valid license. He previously served a two-year prison sentence on 11 charges including burglary, fleeing, grand theft of a motor vehicle, and trafficking in stolen property.

Judge Walter Green set bail at $10,000 per charge, for a total of $130,000, but Williams’ attorney has already filed an unopposed motion for reduction of bond, arguing that a 1st DCA ruling prohibits charging a defendant with more than one count of possession of a weapon or ammunition at a particular moment.

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.