A Gainesville man was arrested early Thursday morning and charged with kidnapping after holding a coworker hostage for nearly four hours.
Alachua County Sheriff’s Office deputies received a call around 7 p.m. Wednesday from a woman saying that Tyrese Jones, a 26-year-old Gainesville resident, held her at gunpoint, according to the arrest report.
The woman and several coworkers, including Jones, went to Blue Springs State Park earlier in the day for a work trip, according to the report.
The group traveled in two vehicles and left the park around 3 p.m.
Shortly into the drive, the woman received a call from the driver of the other vehicle asking her to pull over due to low tire pressure.
When they stopped, Jones approached her car and said the passengers in the other vehicle were “acting weird” and trying to set him up. He asked to switch cars and was let into the passenger seat of the victim’s car.
After Jones saw a vehicle pull over across the road, he drew a pistol from his waistband, pointed it at her face and ordered her to drive.
According to the report, the victim insisted on taking the backseat passenger home. After dropping the unnamed passenger off, Jones began giving her directions, ordering her to drive into several parking lots, including Publix, Walmart and a CVS.
For the next several hours, Jones allegedly ranted about being followed and accused the woman of setting him up. He threatened to kill her and then himself multiple times, according to the report.
She reportedly made several attempts to use her phone or exit the vehicle but Jones became agitated and continued accusing her of setting him up.
At one point, Jones used her phone to call his mother and refused to give it back. The woman threatened to crash the car if he didn’t return it.
They continued driving until arriving at a Firehouse Subs parking lot in Butler Plaza, where they sat for around 20 minutes. The victim told Jones she was going to be late for work. Jones then tucked his firearm into his waistband and exited the vehicle, according to the report.
The victim called law enforcement soon after. Deputies encountered Jones outside Bonefish Grill in Butler Plaza. Jones began to draw his gun, prompting a deputy to fire at him. He was treated for minor injuries and was booked into the Alachua County Jail Thursday at 3 a.m.
He faces charges of felony kidnapping, felony aggravated assault and felony obstruction of justice. No bond has been set.
Contact Logan McBride at lmcbride@alligator.org. Follow him on X @logandmcbride.
Logan McBride is a journalism junior and the Summer 2025 city commission reporter. In his free time, he enjoys watching TV shows or playing basketball at Southwest Rec. He is also a big football fan and will die for Dak Prescott.
