A Leesburg man was arrested for threatening to fight law enforcement as they investigated a disturbance involving his wife and in-laws.
Officers responded to a disturbance involving 37-year-old Gabriel Elvis Lokebol at 2304 Edgewater Avenue around 10:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 15, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department.
Upon arrival, the officers saw the front door slightly open and heard people arguing inside the home. Lokebol was yelling and acted aggressively, telling one of the officers, “Take off your badge and fight me outside like a man.” He was intoxicated and smelled like alcohol, the report said.
The officers calmed Lokebol down and took him outside. He advised that he was upset with his two in-laws staying at his home and getting involved in his marriage. When asked if anything else happened, he ignored the question and vented to the officers about how he wanted them to take his in-laws out of his residence, the report said.
Some of the officers stayed with Lokebol while one went inside to talk to his wife and his brother- and sister-in-law. The wife stated she was afraid to be near Lokebol due to him hurting her in the past. As she explained what happened, the officer noticed she was uncertain when exactly the incident occurred, how she was battered and where she was hit, the report said.
She also stated Lokebol had a violent history of hurting her and her in-laws, but she could not specify further details. She mentioned they feared for their safety, the report said.
Officers stood by and informed Lokebol of the outcome. He grew upset and yelled at them to take off their badges and fight him. As they tried to de-escalate the situation, one of them commanded him to calm down. He instead got more upset and aggressively approached the officer, yelling at him to take off his badge and fight him once more, the report said.
The officers perceived his actions as a threat and believed he had intentions to batter the one he was yelling at. They quickly grabbed him and pinned him to a nearby patrol vehicle, where he was placed under arrest. As they held him against the vehicle, he kept telling the same officer to take off his badge and fight, the report said.
Lokebol was charged with three counts of simple assault on law enforcement officer/firefighter/EMT. He was transported to Lake County Jail with bond set at $3,000.