Florida Agent Assaulted With BB Gun
A Leesburg man was arrested after allegedly pointing a BB gun in the face of a repossession agent there to take his girlfriend’s vehicle.
An officer responded to a weapon complaint at a residence, located at 401 Delphine Ct., around 6:25 p.m. Monday, May 19, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department. Dispatch advised that the victim was at the home to repossess a vehicle when the homeowner, 37-year-old Wardell Carser Rivers, pointed a rifle at his face.
Upon arrival, the officer met with the vehicle near the incident location. He stated he and the witness worked for Southern Finance Adjusters, and they were at the residence to repossess a silver Dodge Journey. The vehicle belonged to the Rivers’ girlfriend, who also lived there, the report said.
The victim approached the residence and identified the vehicle parked in the open garage. Rivers came out from the residence and asked what he was doing. The victim informed him that he was there to repossess the vehicle and had a brief discussion with him, the report said.
The victim was standing at the top of the driveway, closest to the open garage door, as they spoke. Rivers told him that he could not repossess the vehicle, to which the victim responded he was licensed to do so in the state of Florida, and it was his job. Rivers then asked for his license, the report said.
While the victim retrieved his license, Rivers walked around the passenger side of the vehicle in the garage and grabbed what appeared to be a camo rifle. He pointed it inches away from the victim’s face and threatened to shoot him in the face, the report said.
The victim retreated back to his tow truck to call 911. Rivers went back into the garage, yelled a threat to beat the victim, removed the tag from the vehicle and closed the garage door, the report said.
The victim took a photo of the vehicle and Rivers in the garage prior to the altercation. It showed Rivers sitting down next to the vehicle, although it was difficult to make out his face due to the lighting. The clothing description matched what he was wearing during the encounter, though, the report said.
A witness, who worked with the victim, was with him during the incident. During an interview, he reiterated exactly what the victim said, the report said.
Officers subsequently established a perimeter around the residence. Initially, Rivers’ girlfriend came out of the residence and met with them. She denied there being any firearms inside the residence but confirmed there was a BB gun in the garage, the report said.
Rivers’ girlfriend further stated the victim and witness were at the end of the driveway arguing with Rivers, but she did not see him with the BB gun. She then called Rivers and asked him to come out of the residence at the officers’ request. He came out willingly and was handcuffed, the report said.
An officer read Rivers his rights, and he confirmed his understanding. He initially stated there were no weapons in the home but then confirmed there was a camo BB gun in the garage behind a stack of tires. He was not forthcoming with information about how the incident happened at first, the report said.
Rivers ultimately stated the victim was arguing with him about repossessing the vehicle. He denied pointing a gun at the victim or stating any threats to either the victim or the witness. He was aware of why the victim and witness were present, and he removed the tag from the vehicle afterward because he did not want the tag to be taken, the report said.
Rivers’ girlfriend gave officers permission to search her garage for the BB gun. They did not find the rifle in the garage where Rivers said it was. She stated it may be in their children’s room since that was who the BB gun belonged to, the report said.
Rivers’ girlfriend allowed the officers to search the residence with her present. She found the camo BB gun, loaded, in their children’s bedroom. The victim and witness were shown the BB gun while on scene, and they identified it as the one used during the incident, the report said.
An officer asked Rivers how the BB gun ended up in the children’s bedroom, to which he stated he moved it in there from the garage. When asked why he did this, he stated he saw the victim look at the rifle during their verbal argument. The victim told Rivers he was “going to jail,” causing him to move the BB gun so it would not be related to the incident, the report said.
Rivers was subsequently arrested and charged with aggravated assault with deadly weapon without intent to kill. The Pennsylvania native was transported to Lake County Jail with bond set at $5,000.
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