Florida Man Arrested After Doorbell Dispute Escalates to Bat, Rifle and Machete
A piece of tape covering a doorbell camera set off a confrontation in Melbourne, Florida, that police say progressed from punches to a baseball bat, then a rifle and finally a machete.
Property representative Ruel Tummings Sr. went to a residence Oct. 2 to address the covered camera when he encountered 44-year-old Timothy Blake Alexander, according to a Melbourne Police Department account provided to FOX 35 Orlando.
Police accused Alexander of shoving Tummings and repeatedly punching him inside the home before following him outside with a baseball bat and swinging it high toward his head.
The confrontation escalated again outside. Police said Alexander retrieved a lever-action rifle from the trunk of a vehicle, while Tummings armed himself with a machete.
Outside The Home
Tummings pushed the rifle barrel away and struck Alexander in the arm with the machete, according to the police account.
The encounter did not end there. Police said Alexander then pointed the rifle toward Tummings’ son when the son arrived in a vehicle.
Melbourne Police took Alexander into custody.
After the arrest, officers learned Alexander was subject to an active protection order from Alabama that prohibited him from possessing a firearm, FOX 35 reported.
Police have not publicly explained why tape had been placed over the doorbell camera or what happened before Tummings went to address it.
Booking Record
A Brevard County booking record lists Alexander as having been arrested by Melbourne Police on Oct. 3.
The record lists one count of aggravated battery on a person 65 or older, three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill and one count of possession of a firearm or ammunition while subject to a final domestic-violence injunction.
That booking information differs somewhat from the charge description reported by FOX 35, which listed battery on a person 65 or older, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, two counts of aggravated assault with a firearm and violation of a protection order involving firearm possession.
FOX 35 reported Alexander was booked on $25,000 bond. The booking data published shortly after his arrest displayed a $0 total-bond field, so his current custody and bond status could not be independently established from the records reviewed.
The extent of Alexander’s arm injury from the machete strike was not disclosed.
