WINTER SPRINGS, Fla. – A 73-year-old man is accused of pointing a large knife at a child for riding their bicycle on the sidewalk and not in the bike lane, according to the Winter Springs Police Department.
Richard Shafer was arrested Monday on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
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Police said they responded to the intersection of Tuskawilla Road and Winter Springs Boulevard on Monday around 12:01 p.m.
The victim told police he was riding his bike home when a man, Schafer, wearing a sunhat, black sunglasses and fingerless gloves pulled out a large military-style knife and pointed it at him. The boy told police Schafer advised him to ride his bicycle in the bike lane and not on the sidewalk.
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The boy apologized and rode his bike home and reported what happened. The child told officers that he was in fear for his life and thought the man was going to hurt him.
According to an arrest report, the victim was able to point Shafer.
Police said as they were placing Shafer under arrest, he was armed with a knife and a firearm.
According to the report, Shafer later admitted to pointing the knife at the boy because he was not riding his bicycle in the bike lane. He also stated that he fully extended the knife at the child because the boy was riding his bike towards him and he believed “his life was in danger due to his age.”
Shafer was taken to the Seminole County jail.
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