A Groveland man was arrested after arguing with officers and hitting them with his vehicle’s door during a traffic stop.
An officer on patrol saw 47-year-old Charles Warrent Bates drive a white sedan through the parking lot of Dollar General, located at 441 E Myers Blvd., at 4:35 a.m. Monday, April 27, according to an arrest report from the Mascotte Police Department.
He noticed that only one of the vehicle’s tag lights was working at the time, and he followed behind as the vehicle made an improper stop at the intersection of Ashmore Avenue and Blett Street. He then conducted a traffic stop just past Wildwood Avenue, the report said.
When told the reason for the stop, Bates immediately became verbally aggressive and denied doing anything wrong. He wanted to get out of his vehicle and confirm for himself that a tag light was out, but the officer told him no. He was also asked for his driver’s license and refused to hand it over, saying the officer could take him to jail, the report said.
So, the officer opened the driver’s door and ordered Bates to step out. He grabbed Bates’s left forearm as he tensed and repeated that he did nothing wrong. The officer commanded him multiple times to get out of the vehicle, and he did not comply, the report said.
The officer subsequently radioed for backup before pointing a taser at Bates. Assistance arrived shortly after to help him grab Bates, who held himself back. The backup officer began to drive stun Bates to gain compliance, during which Bates swung his hand to hit him back, the report said.
Both officers then fired tasers at Bates, which were successful until he pulled the probes out of his body. An officer fired another probe, only for him to remove it again. The officer moved closer to drive stun his upper left shoulder, to which he lifted his left foot and kicked the officer’s waist, the report said.
Bates subsequently got back into his vehicle and put it in drive. He quickly sped up, hitting one of the officers’ upper right shoulders with the door frame in the process. The other officer was hit near his lower legs as Bates drove away, the report said.
Bates sped westbound on Blett Street and ran the stop sign at the intersection with Midway Avenue. By the time the officers got back in their patrol vehicles, they lost sight of him. They unsuccessfully tried to catch up, during which two bystanders flagged them down. They had seen a white sedan drive down Pearl Street and turn onto Mascotte Empire Road, the report said.
Ultimately, a record check on the vehicle resulted in the officers finding Bates’s address on Justamere Lane in Groveland, which was the direction he had fled. Deputies with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office joined the officers as they responded to the home and found the vehicle unoccupied in front of the property. They next set up a perimeter and ordered any occupants to come out with their hands up, the report said.
Two males and one female followed the commands, and the property owner gave law enforcement permission to search the house for Bates. They did not find him in the home, but he called around 6:45 a.m. to say he was at the property. Officers went back to see him walking from the east side of the property, the report said.
An officer asked him why he did what he did, and he did not know. He apologized, as well, the report said.
Bates was arrested on charges of flee or attempt to elude law enforcement, two counts of resisting officer with violence and two counts of battery on a law enforcement officer. He was booked at the Lake County Jail and released after posting $27,500 bond.