A Belleview-area dispute took an unusual turn Sunday night when deputies say an Ocala man tried to run over a woman with a horse before fleeing both in a pickup truck and later on foot.
According to a Marion County Sheriff’s Office arrest affidavit, deputies responded around 10 p.m. July 5 to a disturbance at a rodeo being held in a field at 3861 SE 118th Lane in Belleview. Witnesses told deputies Antonio Castillo Ortega, 45, attempted to run over a woman while riding a white horse during an altercation.
As deputies arrived, they observed Castillo Ortega leaving the property in a white pickup truck pulling a red trailer carrying the horse. Investigators said witnesses reported he had just tried to run over the victim with the horse and had also thrown a beer at her during the confrontation.
Deputies initiated a traffic stop in the field, but according to the affidavit, Castillo Ortega ignored commands to stop, uttered an expletive at deputies and continued driving a short distance before an ambulance blocked the only exit from the event.
That didn’t end the chase.
Deputies said Castillo Ortega abandoned the truck and ran into a wooded area, ignoring repeated commands to stop. Marion County Sheriff’s Office Air Unit 1 later located him getting into the back seat of a white sedan near SE 118th Lane and SE 36th Avenue. When deputies surrounded the vehicle, investigators said he refused to get out, pulled away from officers attempting to remove him and braced himself inside the car before being handcuffed.
After being advised of his rights, Castillo Ortega reportedly admitted he knew deputies were attempting to stop him but said he fled because he was afraid of going to jail. He denied intentionally trying to strike the victim with the horse, telling deputies he was attempting to break up an altercation.
Deputies charged Castillo Ortega with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill, battery and two counts of resisting an officer without violence. Investigators noted in the affidavit that they considered the horse to be the deadly weapon because, they alleged, it was used in a manner capable of causing great bodily harm or death.
The affidavit also states law enforcement was advised Castillo Ortega had previously been deported from the United States and that fingerprint records indicated a possible alias of Jorge Ortega Rubio.
