Gainesville Police arrested a man accused of attempted armed robbery Thursday.
Titus Smoaks, 44, was charged with attempted armed robbery with a deadly weapon.
Smoaks
Around 11:05 p.m. on Thursday, the victim was walking his dog back to his apartment, according to the report. Before he could go inside he was confronted by Smoaks, who had allegedly concealed himself behind a tree.
The victim allegedly saw Smoaks holding a small black rifle or machine gun, but could could not identify exactly what type. The victim could see that Smoaks was holding it in two hands, according to the report.
The victim said that he was immediately in fear for his life and every time he said a word, Smoaks would raise the gun higher, according to the report. Smoaks allegedly told the victim to tie his dog to a tree, but the victim dropped the leash, jumped over a chain link fence and ran away.
While officers were at the scene, a resident told them she saw someone matching the suspect’s description hiding behind a car that was located in the next to last parking space on the east end of the drive, according to the report. Smoaks then ran and officers started a K-9 track that led to Brighton Park’s parking lot, on 4415 SW 34th St.
Smoaks continued to run and ignore all the officer’s commands to stop, according to the report. However, he eventually complied after a warning from a K-9 officer.
Officers found a pair of latex gloves behind a small bush a foot away from where Smoaks was hiding behind the vehicle before fleeing, according to the report. They also found two 14-by-14 inch boxes that were filled with vacuum sealed bags of cannabis, which weighed several pounds.
It is not yet proven that the boxes came from the victim’s apartment; however, officers found broken-down boxes of the same type inside, according to the report.
Smoaks remained in Alachua County Jail on Thursday in lieu of a $60,000 bail.
Follow Devoun Cetoute on Twitter @devoun_cetoute and contact him at dcetoute@alligator.org.
