Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Samuel Shane Barnes, 34, was arrested yesterday and charged with discharging a firearm in public, using a firearm while under the influence of alcohol, and fleeing from law enforcement after allegedly firing ten shots into the air in the Pine Ridge neighborhood.

At about 7:12 p.m. on October 18, Barnes allegedly drove into the Pine Ridge neighborhood, stopped his truck at the intersection of NW 25th Terrace and NW 23rd Terrace, got out, and fired about ten rounds into the air from a pistol. He then allegedly drove into a nearby yard and did a donut, then drove through several more yards and eventually stopped in a parking lot in the 6000 block of NW 23rd Terrace.

A witness told the responding Gainesville Police Department officer that he heard a loud vehicle and went outside to investigate. He said he saw a man get out of his vehicle, fire about ten rounds into the air, and then drive away through a yard. He said the pickup truck drove into the parking lot outside his residence a short time later. The witness provided a description of the suspect’s vehicle, including the tag number, and said the pistol was possibly a 9mm or .45 caliber handgun.

A responding officer saw the pickup truck leaving the parking lot outside the witness’s residence and reported that the truck accelerated away, well above the speed limit of 30 mph. The officer activated his lights and sirens and attempted a traffic stop, but the truck reportedly made an abrupt right turn onto NW 57th Place; the truck reportedly drove off the road into a yard on NW 57th Place and drove “at an excessive speed” between two residential buildings to get to NW 58th Avenue. The truck reportedly continued through the neighborhood, eventually turning right on NW 34th Boulevard while losing traction of the rear tires. The truck went south toward NW 53rd Avenue but became blocked by cars stopped at the light; patrol cars surrounded him, and he was taken into custody.

A search of the truck reportedly produced a .45 caliber FN 545 handgun on the driver’s side floorboard, next to a holster; there was one round in the chamber and an empty magazine, along with a fully-loaded magazine on the passenger seat. The search also reportedly produced multiple cans of beer in the passenger seat, with one can missing from the six-pack.

The officer reported that Barnes’s eyes were bloodshot and watery, his pupils were dilated, and the odor of an alcoholic beverage was noticeable when he spoke.

Post Miranda, Barnes reportedly said he is a gun owner and that the gun in the truck belongs to him. He said he had recently been at a brewery, where he drank two beers before driving to Pine Ridge; he said he had no reason to be in Pine Ridge but may have been driving to Walmart. He said he did not fire a gun in the neighborhood but heard gunshots. He said he heard the sirens and saw the lights on the patrol car, but he did not stop because he didn’t think it was a legitimate law enforcement vehicle; he said he had once been pulled over by someone who was not actually a law enforcement officer.

Barnes has one felony conviction (non-violent) and seven misdemeanor convictions (none violent). Judge Craig DeThomasis set bail at $10,000, and Barnes has been released from jail.

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.