POLK COUNTY, Fla. – A long-standing friendship took a dangerous turn this past weekend, culminating in the arrest of a Mulberry man after an escalating dispute at a local gas station.
Anthony Michael Dyer, 28, was taken into custody by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office on Sunday, June 15th, facing charges of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon without Intent to Kill and Improper Exhibition of a Firearm.
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According to deputies, the altercation began on Saturday, June 14th, at a Mulberry gas station between Dyer and a man with whom he had been friends for two decades. The victim, whose identity has not been released, told deputies that Dyer approached him at the fuel pumps and initiated a hostile conversation.
The verbal exchange quickly escalated. The victim reported that Dyer retrieved a black rifle from his vehicle and pointed it at him. Both men then departed the scene in their vehicles.
The confrontation, however, was not over. A short time later, Dyer reportedly pulled his vehicle alongside the victim’s, at which point he allegedly brandished a handgun and threatened, “I should shoot you.” Following this second encounter, both men drove off in separate directions.
Deputies were contacted the following day, Sunday, June 15th, and immediately launched an investigation. During their inquiry, authorities seized a handgun from Dyer that matched the victim’s description, as well as a rifle magazine found in Dyer’s vehicle.
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When questioned by deputies, Dyer admitted that the victim had been “running his mouth,” which he claimed had frustrated him.
Dyer stated he pulled a BB gun from his vehicle and “almost did some (stuff),” adding that “every instinct in him told him to ‘shoot the bum.'” He further confessed to presenting the handgun and claimed he had since discarded the BB gun. Regarding the rifle magazine, Dyer asserted it belonged to a friend.
Anthony Michael Dyer was subsequently arrested on Sunday, June 15th, and transported to the Sheriff’s Processing Center for booking.
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