A man who wanted a deputy’s attention fired three shots into the air at a Circle K gas station.
Joseph Paul Bouchard, 57, at about 1:30 a.m. Saturday was at the Circle K at U.S. Hwy. 27/441 at Sunset Harbor Road in Summerfield when he demanded the assistance of a deputy conducting a nearby traffic stop, according to an arrest report from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
When the deputy told Bouchard he needed to complete the traffic stop, Bouchard returned to his vehicle and took out a silver Taurus .22-caliber handgun and fired three shots into the air. There were people nearby, the report noted.
“Oh, now you’ll come over here,” Bouchard screamed as the deputy approached him.
Bouchard threw a pressure wash wand at the deputy, striking him in the ankle. The deputy ordered Bouchard to the ground, but he ignored the commands. The deputy twice used a stun gun on Bouchard, who fell to the concrete. He was transported to a local hospital for a medical evaluation.
Bouchard was arrested on charges of firing a weapon in a public place, battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest. He was booked at the Marion County Jail on $7,000 bond.