John Jefferson
Dana Hilliker (Marion County Sheriff’s Office).
A Florida man was arrested this week for attacking an Amazon driver who was in the middle of his delivery route, law enforcement in the Sunshine State say.
Dana Hilliker, 37, stands accused of burglary with assault or battery, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
The incident occurred Sunday near a residence on North West Gainesville Road in Ocala — a medium-sized city in central Florida — some 40 miles due south of Gainesville.
On the day in question, Hilliker allegedly jumped aboard the delivery van and scratched the Amazon employee.
The defendant was apparently enraged because of how fast the delivery man was driving through his neighborhood, according to an affidavit of probable cause obtained by Orlando-based CBS affiliate WKMG.
Hilliker was particularly incensed because he was riding around with his son on his motorcycle that day — and apparently feared for their safety due to the driver’s alleged speed, he told sheriff’s deputies.
“(Hilliker) stated he waved his hands and yelled at him to ‘slow down,”” the affidavit obtained by the TV station reads. “However, (Hilliker) stated the van proceeded to the rear of the property to deliver a package.”
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After that, the tension appears to have escalated — and so did the father’s alleged actions.
When the driver did not respond favorably to the yelled-out entreaties to stop, Hilliker allegedly jumped in front of the van and fanned his arms out, according to an arrest report obtained by Orlando-based Fox affiliate WOFL.
Next, the defendant allegedly jumped on the van — by grabbing the driver’s side door. Then, he allegedly grabbed the driver’s shirt. Then, he allegedly scratched the Amazon employee’s arms and legs.
“The driver said he had to punch Hilliker multiple times to free himself,” according to the arrest report.
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To hear Hilliker tell it, however, the van drove into him — and only that was what prompted him to latch onto the vehicle’s mirror.
“(Hilliker) stated the (Amazon driver) struck him multiple times in the face and arms in an attempt to remove him from the side of the vehicle,” the affidavit obtained by WKMG continues. “(Hilliker) stated he continued to hold onto the vehicle and used one of his arms to block the strikes.”
The defendant’s wife took photos of the incident, authorities say. But those photos apparently did not help him out very much. Rather, deputies say they showed Hilliker’s arms inside of the vehicle — not grabbing onto the mirror as he claimed.
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In body-worn camera footage obtained by WKMG, a sheriff’s deputy and the defendant hash out the incident.
“I understand that (the driver) was speeding,” the deputy tells Hilliker. “However, this is an easement, and he has a right to be here delivering Amazon packages, so you cannot just jump out in front of the moving car to tell him to stop.”
To which the defendant replies: “I was standing in the road.
“But you can’t stand in the road to tell him to stop,” the deputy says. “And then you also can’t jump onto his window and hold on.”
The defendant was arrested on Tuesday and quickly posted bond, Marion County court records show.
He is slated to appear in court next month.
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