Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Jonathan Velez-Rodriguez, 36, was arrested this morning and charged with aggravated battery after he allegedly chased and shot a man who tried to siphon gas from his car at a motel.
At about 7:07 a.m. on September 27, a Gainesville Police Department officer responded to a call about a shooting and found the victim with a gunshot wound to the thigh. Three shell casings were reportedly found in the roadway of the 1400 block of SW 18th Place.
The victim reportedly said he had run out of gas and could not find any open stations because of the hurricane, so he decided to siphon gas from a vehicle in the parking lot of the Days Inn (1901 SW 13th Street). He said the owner of the car asked him what he was doing, so he walked away. He said Velez-Rodriguez followed him in his vehicle, so he ran across SW 13th Street and onto SW 18th Place. He heard shots and realized he had been shot in the thigh; he said Velez-Rodriguez was about 20-30 feet away from him when he fired the gun.