A neighborhood dispute over a man riding his electric scooter up and down the street apparently reached its breaking point when a Dunnellon resident allegedly decided to take matters into his own hands, leaving the scooter rider with a bloody head and a trip to the hospital.
Edward Joseph Stucker, 67, was arrested Tuesday, October 27, and charged with felony aggravated battery following an October 17 confrontation near his home on Southwest Arrow Leaf Trail.
According to an arrest affidavit from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to reports of a battery and found the victim visibly shaken, crying and bleeding from his head, with additional blood on his hands and arms.
The victim told deputies he had been riding his electric scooter along the neighborhood roadway, something he regularly did, when he was suddenly blinded by a bright white light.
He alleged that Stucker then pushed him off his scooter, jumped on top of him and began repeatedly striking him in the face. The victim also claimed Stucker grabbed him by the hair and slammed his head against the concrete.
The beating reportedly stopped only after the victim threatened that he had something he did not want to use.
The victim suffered cuts and lacerations to his head and hands and was transported to West Marion for treatment.
He also told deputies he believed Stucker may have been using brass knuckles during the attack because he could feel something sharp while being struck.
When deputies questioned Stucker, he acknowledged the confrontation but offered a different account of how it unfolded.
Stucker reportedly told investigators that he and the scooter rider were not on good terms and that he disliked the man repeatedly riding past his home.
He claimed his outdoor alarm had gone off when the victim rode by, prompting him to walk into the roadway.
According to the affidavit, Stucker said the scooter rider swerved toward him, leading him to believe he was about to be struck. He claimed he extended his hands to protect himself, causing the rider to fall.
Stucker alleged the victim then got up, approached him and began attacking him, prompting the physical confrontation.
He denied owning brass knuckles.
However, when deputies followed up with both men on October 27, Stucker provided additional details that appeared to complicate his original account.
According to investigators, Stucker acknowledged flashing a light at the scooter rider and admitted that he had initially intended to push the man before stopping himself.
He also admitted using his flashlight to strike the victim during the altercation, which he said caused the lacerations to the man’s head.
Meanwhile, the victim told deputies he was still shaken by the incident and had required seven staples in his head to close his injuries. He showed investigators the staples and photographs of his injuries, which had begun to scar.
After reviewing the statements, deputies determined Stucker was the primary aggressor, citing his decision to enter the roadway, shine a light at the approaching scooter rider and acknowledge an initial intention to push him.
The affidavit noted that Stucker had no prior battery convictions. He was arrested on one count of aggravated battery causing bodily harm or disability.
