A Leesburg man was arrested on a charge of aggravated assault despite claiming a “Stand Your Ground” defense in a dispute with neighbors involving a pellet gun.
A call for a weapons complaint was dispatched to 4322 Arlington Ridge Boulevard around 11:26 a.m. Thursday, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department. The call was about a minor disturbance in the roadway in front of the residence that escalated into an aggravated assault as the homeowner went inside and retrieved a firearm.
The victims were able to identify the homeowner, 54-year-old George Hamilton Gray, by personal knowledge since they were neighbors. Before the officer’s arrival, he was told there had been prior calls about Gray involving a firearm, the report said.
Once at the scene, officers spoke to the two victims around the block. The first victim explained he was driving down Arlington Ridge Boulevard when he saw his neighbor, the second victim, walking in the road. The first victim pulled to the side of the roadway as he chatted with his neighbor in front of Gray’s residence, the report said.
This was when Gray came outside. The victims both explained that he was mad, irate and yelling at them to get away from his house. He then went inside the garage and pulled out a firearm. He next approached the victims with the firearm at the edge of his property, the report said.
The first victim advised that Gray raised his right arm, pointing the muzzle at both of the victims and repeated to them to get away from his residence. The second victim stated he had his back turned at that moment but turned as he heard a gun “click.” Gray had the firearm raised up toward the sky but still in their direction, the report said.
Both victims heard a “click” as if Gray cocked the hammer on the firearm. Because of this, they loaded into the vehicle and left in distress. They feared they would be shot by Gray and called emergency services, the report said.
The firearm was described as a black pistol with a longer barrel. The victims were unsure of the exact make or model, the report said.
After this, officers spoke with Gray who denied the altercation involved a firearm. He explained that the victims were in front of his residence, and he did not want them there. The victims would not move, but all that happened was a back-and-forth verbal argument. No firearm was introduced into the argument. He also made statements about the “stand your ground,” the report said.
Officers noticed a black replica pellet gun matching the description of the firearm used in plain view on a ledge inside the garage while speaking to Gray. It had a long barrel and the ability to cock it to load a pellet inside. There were no indicators at first glance that someone would infer the object was a pellet gun and not a real firearm. When confronted with the found pellet gun, Gray stated it had been hung on his wall for several months and had not been taken down that day, the report said.
Additionally, officers canvassed the neighborhood for video surveillance but were met with negative results. One of the officers noticed Gray’s residence had video surveillance on the front. He spoke to Gray’s brother who stated that he did not have access to it. Gray stated he did have access to the videos but only on his computer, the report said.
The New York native was subsequently arrested on two counts of aggravated assault. He was taken to LPD for booking paperwork before being transported to Lake County Jail without incident. He was released after posting $10,000 bond.
