Police in the Sunshine State say that a man was arrested this week for attacking an Amazon driver who was in the middle of a delivery route.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office says that 37-year-old Dana Hilliker is charged with burglary with assault or battery.
The crime happened on Sunday near a home on North West Gainesville Road in Ocala, a medium-sized city in central Florida 40 miles south of Gainesville.
On the day in question, Hilliker is said to have jumped onto the delivery van and scratched an Amazon worker.
According to an affidavit of probable cause that Orlando-based CBS affiliate WKMG got, the defendant was angry that the delivery man was driving too fast through his neighborhood.
Hilliker was especially angry because he was riding his motorcycle with his son that day. He told sheriff’s deputies that he was afraid for their safety because the driver was going too fast.
“(Hilliker) said he waved his hands and yelled at him to’slow down,'” the TV station got from an affidavit. “However, Hilliker said the van went to the back of the house to deliver a package.”
After that, things seem to have gotten worse, and the father is said to have done worse things.
According to an arrest report obtained by Orlando-based Fox affiliate WOFL, Hilliker allegedly jumped in front of the van and spread his arms wide when the driver did not heed the calls to stop.
The defendant is then said to have jumped on the van by holding on to the door on the driver’s side. He is then said to have grabbed the driver’s shirt. After that, he is said to have scratched the Amazon worker’s arms and legs.
The arrest report says, “The driver said he had to punch Hilliker several times to free himself.”
From what Hilliker says, though, the van hit him, and that’s the only thing that made him grab the van’s mirror.
The affidavit that WKMG obtained says, “(Hilliker) said the (Amazon driver) hit him several times in the face and arms while trying to pull him off the side of the vehicle.” According to Hilliker, he kept holding on to the car and used one arm to block the blows.
Police say that the defendant’s wife took pictures of what happened. It looks like those pictures didn’t help him much, though. Instead, deputies say they saw Hilliker’s arms inside the car, not holding on to the mirror like he said.
In video from a body-worn camera that WKMG got, the defendant and a sheriff’s deputy talk about what happened.
The deputy tells Hilliker, “I understand that (the driver) was going too fast.” “But this is an easement, and he has the right to be here delivering packages for Amazon. You can’t just jump in front of the moving car and tell him to stop.”
the defendant says, “I was in the middle of the road.”
The deputy says, “But you can’t stand in the road and tell him to stop.” “Then you can’t hold on and jump on his window either.”
Records from Marion County show that the person was arrested on Tuesday and quickly posted bond.
He has a court date coming up next month.
