Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Daren Gary Smith, 58, was arrested early this morning after allegedly chasing a man while holding a machete after the two men argued at a Walmart bus stop.

The responding Gainesville Police Department officer reported that at about 3:47 a.m. on April 26, Smith got into an argument with the victim, who had been sleeping on a bench at a bus stop near the northwest Walmart. The victim told the officer he told Smith to stop shouting and Smith reached into a black plastic bag, pulled out a long machete, and threatened him with it.

The victim said he ran away from Smith and Smith chased him for about 10 or 15 yards, brandishing the machete. The victim said he was in fear for his life and gave the officer a description of the machete. The officer reported that the victim was uninjured.

A witness who had been sitting at the same bus stop reportedly told the officer that he saw Smith brandish the machete while he was arguing with the victim. The witness said it “was a very dangerous situation.”

Post Miranda, Smith reportedly declined to answer any questions.

Smith was arrested in December 2022 for allegedly kicking a victim who was lying on the ground while holding a knife and threatening to kill the victim. After prosecutors failed to file formal charges within 40 days, he was released on his own recognizance. Following a psychological evaluation, he was found competent to proceed with trial in October 2023, and he is scheduled to enter a plea on May 19 in that case.

He was arrested again in September 2023 for allegedly pulling a knife on four people at the Walmart on Waldo Road. He was released on October 11, 2023 on his own recognizance, and the charges were dropped a few days later.

In November 2023, he was arrested at the Butler Plaza Walmart for harassing customers and spitting on a manager. In February 2024, he was found incompetent to proceed, with a diagnosis of unspecified schizophrenia and a psychotic order, and was committed to a state mental hospital. In September 2024, he was found competent to proceed and was returned to the Alachua County Jail and eventually released on his own recognizance in November 2024. Resolution of that case has been delayed until the 2022 case is resolved.

In this latest case, Smith has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He has 15 felony convictions (non-violent) and 18 misdemeanor convictions (two violent); he has served two state prison sentences, with his most recent release in 2010. He is still facing charges in the felony case from 2022 and the misdemeanor case from 2023. Judge Gloria Walker ordered him held without bail on the new charge, pending a hearing on a motion from the State Attorney’s office to hold him without bail until trial.

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.