A Gainesville man, identified as 20-year-old William Leo King, found himself in handcuffs following a dramatic incident in Levy County, where he allegedly brandished a firearm at a woman during a heated encounter.

The unsettling episode unfolded on the evening of October 17. Around 9:38 p.m., a Levy County Sheriff’s Deputy was dispatched to respond to reports of King threatening a woman with a gun in Bronson. Upon arriving in the area, the deputy observed a white Jeep speeding away on State Road 24 and decided to follow the vehicle.

The incident reportedly began as a verbal altercation in Chiefland. The victim, seated in the back of the Jeep driven by King, claimed she attempted to exit the vehicle amid the escalating argument. However, King purportedly drove erratically in an effort to prevent her from leaving.

As the confrontation intensified, the pair stopped at a gas station in Bronson. It was there, the victim recounted, that King retrieved a handgun from a backpack in the trunk. He allegedly threatened her life, demanding that she exit the vehicle. The situation continued to spiral as King reentered the Jeep and drove eastbound on SR 24, eventually letting her out at a nearby four-way stop.

The victim said they stopped at a gas station in Bronson, where King got out, opened the trunk, and took a handgun from a backpack; she said he told her he would kill her if she did not get out of the vehicle and then got back into the Jeep and continued driving eastbound on SR 24 before dropping her off at the next four-way stop.

Post Miranda after a traffic stop on SW Archer Road, King reportedly said he had argued with the victim in Chiefland; he said he told her to get out of his vehicle “a multitude of times,” and she finally agreed to get out in Bronson. He said he never displayed a handgun at any time during the incident.

A loaded handgun was reportedly found in the glove box of the Jeep and matched the description provided by the victim.

King has been charged with domestic aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He has no local criminal history, and Judge James Colaw set bail at $52,500.

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.