Staff Report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Authorities detained Brandon Levelle Lindsey, aged 40, in the early hours of yesterday following allegations of attempted homicide and aggravated battery involving a folding camp saw.

According to the Gainesville Police Department, a female victim recounted meeting Lindsey at a Steak ‘n Shake located at 3714 SW 42nd St. around 5:15 a.m. to retrieve her e-bike, which led to a heated argument. She claimed Lindsey attacked her, wielding a folding camp saw. As she tried to fend off the blade from her face, she sustained cuts on her hands. A male bystander intervened to assist her. The officer noted her injuries were consistent with her account.

The male witness explained he was across SW 42nd Street when he overheard the altercation and approached to offer help. Upon confronting Lindsey, a verbal dispute ensued. The male victim intended to check on the woman, but Lindsey allegedly threatened him, saying, “No, you’re not… I’ll kill you.” Lindsey reportedly knocked him down, attempted to use the saw on his neck, and continued making threats. The man said he managed to escape after a struggle, during which Lindsey bit his finger. His arm bore cuts aligning with his narrative, as confirmed by the officer.

When questioned about the incident, Lindsey purportedly fled. He was eventually located in a Walmart parking lot but attempted to escape into nearby woods, where officers successfully apprehended him.

A witness at a nearby hotel reported that he heard people yelling and saw one man on the ground with two people “standing around yelling.”

Post Miranda, Lindsey reportedly said the male victim had the camp saw first, and he took it from him, then the female victim grabbed the blade, and they all started wrestling over it. He said that after they finished wrestling, he voluntarily walked over to a police car and presented his ID and a pocket knife. He said he had the camp saw, but he ran when he was asked about it because it wasn’t his and his fingerprints would be on it. He said he fled at Walmart because he was nervous, but then he gave up because he hadn’t done anything wrong.

Lindsey has been charged with attempted homicide, aggravated battery, and resisting an officer without violence. He has four felony convictions (three violent) and five misdemeanor convictions (one violent) and has served four state prison sentences, with his most recent release in December 2023. He was arrested in Gainesville on September 20 for drug possession after he was identified as the suspect in an armed disturbance with a knife; he was not charged with anything related to the knife or the armed disturbance and was released on $10,000 bail. Judge William Davis ordered him held without bail on the new charges, 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.