Punta Gorda man arrested after fleeing, pointing gun at deputy

PUNTA GORDA, Fla.- A man was arrested early Friday morning after he attempted to run away from a deputy and then pointed a handgun at him.

Timothy Ceasar, 32, is now facing charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Shortly after midnight, a deputy saw two men riding their bicycles on the roadway in the area of South Punta Gorda Heights.

Neither cyclist stopped for a stop sign and one of the men was riding a bike with improper lights for riding after dark.

When the deputy stopped the men, he told them he would be issuing them warnings for the violations and asked to search them to make sure they were not carrying weapons.

One man consented, but authorities say Ceasar took off running. The deputy began running after him and saw Ceasar drop or throw something to the ground.  A second deputy who had arrived found an empty gun holster.

The deputy who was chasing Ceasar saw him stumble, get back up, run a short distance and then drop to his knees. Officials say that’s when the deputy saw Ceasar was pointing a handgun at the him.

The deputy pulled his own handgun and ordered Ceasar to drop the weapon.  Ceasar eventually dropped the gun and held up his hands.

When the back-up officer arrived, the two deputies began to handcuff Ceasar, but he pulled his arms under his body and struggled with the deputies. After they finally handcuffed Ceasar, they recovered a fully loaded .45 caliber handgun that had the serial numbers removed. They also found that Ceasar, a previously convicted felon, was wearing an elastic concealment band around his waist.

Ceasar was also charged with carrying a concealed firearm, aggravated assault on an officer and resisting with violence.

He is being held without bond at the Charlotte County Jail, pending his first appearance hearing.