GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Police arrested an armed robber Thursday night while also possibly discovering drug activity.
Gainesville officers responded to a report of an attempted robbery at an apartment on SW 31st Drive in Gainesville around 11 p.m.
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The victim told police that he was returning home after walking his dog when he was confronted by a man holding a machine gun type firearm, according to the arrest report.
The victim jumped a 4-foot fence and ran away after being ordered to tie his dog to a nearby tree, according to the report. He told police that he feared for his life.
A neighbor then told police that she saw someone who matched the description of the suspect.
Officers found the suspect hiding behind a car and began to chase him before the suspect began to comply with orders, according to the report.
The victim then identified the suspect as the person who tried to rob him, according to the report.
Titus Smoaks, a 44-year-old Gainesville resident, was then charged with attempted robbery with a firearm and resisting arrest, according to the report.
Police later found a pair of latex gloves and two 14-by-14-inch boxes containing cannabis that weighed several pounds near where Smoaks was hiding on SW 31st Drive, according to the report.
It is currently unclear if the boxes came from the victim’s apartment, but similar boxes were found in the apartment, according to the report. Police said the investigation is ongoing.