Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Aaron James McRae, Jr., 20, and Kemari Leon Thomas, 18, who are both inmates at the Alachua County Jail, have been charged with battery after allegedly attacking another inmate.

At 3:04 p.m. on September 21, an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to the jail after a report of a fight between three inmates. The deputy’s investigation found that the victim had been in a previous fight with a friend of the two defendants and the three inmates were allowed to roam the pod freely but told not to enter each others’ cells.

However, Thomas allegedly went into the victim’s cell while McRae stood outside and watched for guards. Thomas allegedly removed his shirt and punched the victim, who wrapped his arms around Thomas and yelled for McRae to come get him. While the victim was holding him, Thomas allegedly head-butted the victim repeatedly, causing the victim’s head to hit the wall “numerous” times.

McRae allegedly entered the victim’s cell, punched the victim, and grabbed the victim in a chokehold; the victim reportedly said that his vision started to go black and he could not breathe. While McRae was holding the victim, Thomas allegedly continued hitting the victim.

The victim reportedly forced his way out of the cell, where McRae released him, but Thomas allegedly punched the victim in the face.

The deputy reported that the victim had an existing bruise on his face from the previous fight and several new injuries to his eye, his face, his arm, and his leg.

Post Miranda, McRae reportedly said he grabbed the victim, but his intent was to pull the victim out of his cell to stop the fight.

Post Miranda, Thomas reportedly declined to speak with the deputy.

The deputy reported that surveillance video did not show what happened inside the cell, but the limited view shows an altercation that corroborates the victim’s timeline of events and also shows the other two inmates patting each other on the back and re-enacting the fight to other inmates.

McRae has been charged with battery by a detainee and battery by strangulation. He has no criminal convictions but was arrested on September 18 for armed robbery and tampering with evidence and is being held without bail on those charges. Judge Denise Ferrero added $50,000 bail on the new charges.

Thomas has been charged with battery by a detainee. He has a juvenile criminal history of resisting arrest without violence, petit theft, and burglary to an unoccupied structure. He was arrested on August 14, 2023, when he was 17, and charged as an adult with shooting into a vehicle and injuring a juvenile. Judge Ferrero added $25,000 to his $200,000 bail.

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.