Police: Pierson man arrives at Naples dealership armed with hunting rifle, causes "mass panic"

A Pierson man showed up at a Naples dealership more than four hours away from his home armed with a hunting rifle and a cache of weapons in his truck and caused mass panic, police said on Tuesday.

Naples police Lt. Brian McGin confirmed in a telephone interview on Tuesday that the incident happened at a Jaguar dealership at 900 Ninth Street North on Friday at 4:12 p.m. about 250 miles from Volusia County.

Police said Micah Weiss Bennett, 26, walked around the Jaguar Dealership waving a rifle and wearing a camouflage tarp. He approached several employees and customers while holding the rifle, which caused mass panic at the dealership.

McGin said Bennett made no direct threats to anyone at the car dealership but his erratic behavior made people fear for their lives.

"It was more mere presence and his erratic behavior," McGin said. "He was armed with a rifle and using a camo tent to throw over himself. Obviously patrons and staff were in fear for their lives and they ran for cover."

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According to Bennett's arrest report, he pulled into the parking lot of the dealership, backed into a parking space, and activated some bumper lighting like an emergency vehicle strobe light and then got out of his truck.

With the military camouflage-type sheet over his head, Bennett walked to the middle of the parking lot right in front of the glass entry doors to the dealership and began to say strange things while turning in circles, his arrest report detailed.

At some point, he removed the camouflage sheet and had a long rifle in his hand, pointing in the air, prompting one employee to shout "he's got a gun." Employees and customers ran away, police said.

Police responding to 9-1-1 calls, saw Bennett driving out of the dealership in his truck. Officers conducted a traffic stop at the dealership and Bennett was taken into custody without incident, police said.

When police spoke with Bennett he said the was being attacked by radiation and made "other nonsensical statements," Naples police wrote in a news release.

Detectives attempted to interview Bennett, but he indicated people were following him and declined to speak, police said.

Bennett was charged with four counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He was being held Tuesday in the Naples Jail Center.

"He was charged with aggravated assault mostly because he had a firearm and was acting erratic," McGin said.

Two pocket knives were seen on Bennett as he stepped out of the truck, so, police asked Bennett if he had more weapons in the car and he hesitantly said "yes," the report said.

In the truck, police found 14 handguns, two additional AR-15 style rifles, brass knuckles, a bulletproof vest, and an estimated 300 rounds of ammunition, his arrest report indicated.

Bennett also had with him a dog named Lady, which was taken by the Naples Department of Animal Services, police said.

Naples police contacted Bennett's mother and learned that he was diagnosed with bipolar illness and was previously placed into protective custody under Florida's Baker Act law.

Police said Bennett had traveled to Fort Myers to visit his aunt and investigators did not know why Bennett went to the Jaguar dealership.

"Detectives asked him why he was at the dealership but he would not answer," McGin said. "We don't really know what his intentions were or whether he had any nexus with the dealership."

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Volusia County man armed with hunting rifle causes panic at Naples dealership