Archer Man Arrested for Firing Gun Over Bicycle Dispute

ARCHER – A 61-year-old man was arrested on Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, after allegedly firing a gun into the air twice during an argument over a bicycle. Deputies with the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) took Arnold Bernard Hickey into custody at approximately 5:05 p.m., following a call to 911.

The incident occurred in the 12700 block of Southwest 170^th Street, where the victim told deputies he had asked Hickey if he could use his bicycle to ride “up the street” and then rode the bicycle to a friend’s house on Southwest 170^th Street. The victim stated that he returned the bike about 30 minutes later.

Upon returning the bike, Hickey reportedly became upset, repeating, “I told you about taking my bike, I told you about taking my bike, I got something for that,” while clutching his waistband. According to the victim, Hickey then pulled out a pistol and fired two rounds into the air, prompting the victim to call 911 as Hickey fled the scene on the bicycle.

Deputies located Hickey a short time later in the 12900 block of Southwest 174^th Street. A search during his arrest reportedly produced a handgun along with two loaded magazines. Deputies also recovered a shell casing at the location of the incident and found two unfired bullets nearby.

Hickey was arrested without further incident and has been charged with Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon.

Hickey’s criminal history includes seven misdemeanor convictions, all related to traffic offenses. Judge Adam Lee set his bail at $150,000.

#     #     #

Email cwalker@

alachuatoday.com