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In Gainesville, Florida, a troubling incident unfolded yesterday when 22-year-old Andrew Bartholomew was taken into custody, accused of deliberately striking a cyclist with his vehicle.
The unsettling event transpired around 11:20 a.m. on November 13. A Gainesville Police Department officer arrived at the scene on the 100 block of NE 14th Street to find the victim lying on the ground, bleeding from a head wound. Initially unable to identify his assailant, the victim’s condition raised concerns of a potential traumatic brain injury, though this has not been officially confirmed.
Eyewitness accounts provide a disturbing narrative of the event. One witness recounted seeing a black sedan approach the cyclist and hit him intentionally, without any attempt to slow down. The vehicle was described as being “basically on top” of the victim following the impact. The driver, a “shorter” light-skinned black male with short hair, reportedly exited the car, grabbed the victim by his shirt, and began shouting at him before driving away. This witness was able to note the first three characters of the vehicle’s license plate.
Another witness, who was driving nearby, corroborated the description, observing a young light-skinned black male lift the victim by the shirt before returning to his car and leaving the scene.
A second witness who was driving in the area said he saw a light-skinned young black male grab the victim by the shirt and lift him up before getting back into a car and leaving.
A third witness said he saw the car hit the victim four times, and he parked behind the car and yelled at the driver to stop. He said the driver got back in his car, put his car in reverse, and hit the witness’s car before driving away. That witness called 911 and rendered aid to the victim.
A fourth witness said the suspect might be the victim’s girlfriend’s brother because the two men had had issues in the past.
The officer’s investigation found that the victim had met with his girlfriend near her residence to give her some dog food, and as soon as the victim left, Bartholomew followed him in his car.
While the officer was speaking with witnesses, Bartholomew reportedly called and said he wanted to turn himself in because he had run over the victim with his car. The officer met Bartholomew, arrested him, and noted that the first three characters of his car’s tag matched the information provided by the first witness.
Post Miranda, Bartholomew reportedly admitted to purposely hitting the victim with his car and said that after he hit him, he got out, grabbed the victim by the shirt, and started yelling at him. When the officer asked why Bartholomew had run over the victim, Bartholomew reportedly said the victim had threatened him “before,” and he was scared. The officer asked whether the victim had threatened him that day, and Bartholomew said he hadn’t, but he reportedly added, “I could say he was still mad about the previous incident.”
The officer reportedly said that since the victim was on a bicycle and Bartholomew was in a car, Bartholomew could have easily avoided the victim by not following him, and Bartholomew reportedly said that was correct and admitted that he had no reason to follow the victim.
Bartholomew has been charged with aggravated battery. He has a juvenile conviction from 2021 but no adult criminal history. 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.
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.