Woman escapes gunman, runs to Titusville neighbor for help, police say

Dax Rodriguez faces kidnapping, armed burglary, other charges

TITUSVILLE, Fla. – A gunman was arrested on kidnapping and other charges after he threatened a woman inside a Titusville home, according to the police department.

Dax Rodriguez, 52, was booked Thursday morning into the Brevard County jail.

Titusville police said officers were called to a home in the 3000 block of Willis Drive around 4 p.m. Wednesday for a report of a man with a gun.

According to police, Rodriguez used a gun to threaten a woman inside a home before she was able to escape, run to a neighbor’s house and call police.

Dax Rodriguez (Brevard County Sheriff's Office)

Surveillance footage shows officers drawing rifles and ballistic shields, along with the woman running to her safety.

Neighbor Hazel Dockham said it all started with an argument between the two, and then she watched Rodriguez run away.

“Hightailed it as fast he could down the street,” Dockham said.

Rodriguez left the residence and approached someone on their porch on Carpenter Road and demanded his car keys, according to a probable cause affidavit. He stole the victim’s vehicle and sped south on Interstate 95, fleeing Brevard County deputies, the report shows.

Officers stopped the vehicle on State Road 50 in east Orange County and arrested Rodriguez.

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Police say Rodriguez and the woman knew each other.

Rodriguez faces charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, kidnapping, armed burglary, criminal mischief, aggravated fleeing and eluding, violation of probation, theft, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and witness tampering.

At the Brevard County Jail on Thursday, Judge Kim Musselman set bond for Rodriguez at $300,000.

“The state believes there should be no bond, considering his criminal history and the facts in this case,” Assistant State Attorney Donald Loughran said.

Records show Rodriguez was already on probation for the next three years after he was convicted in January on DUI and cocaine charges.

The judge also ordered Rodriguez have no contact with the victim.


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About the Authors:

Brenda Argueta is a digital journalist who joined ClickOrlando.com in March 2021. She is the author of the Central Florida Happenings newsletter that goes out every Thursday.

James joined News 6 in March 2016 as the Brevard County Reporter. His arrival was the realization of a three-year effort to return to the state where his career began. James is from Pittsburgh, PA and graduated from Penn State in 2009 with a degree in Broadcast Journalism.

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