SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – A Winter Springs man is facing a felony assault charge after police said he tried to run over someone with a golf cart in the Hacienda Village neighborhood back in June, an incident neighbors told officers followed years of ongoing disputes.
Newly obtained body camera video from the Winter Springs Police Department shows Bruce Gittleman being arrested in June after officers responded to a 911 call from the neighborhood.
“This guy who has been harassing me for about 10 years just tried to run me over with his golf cart,” the caller told dispatchers.
When asked whether the golf cart hit him, the caller said no.
“He usually just gets close and then veers off just to make a statement,” the caller said.
In police video, an officer can be heard telling Gittleman that he was being accused of assault with a deadly weapon.
“We have a witness and also a victim saying you tried to hit him with a golf cart,” the officer said. “We have a witness saying the same thing.”
Gittleman denied trying to hurt anyone and told officers the encounter came after an argument with a neighbor.
“He turned around, he come back out in the street with the mower, and he’s yelling at me as I’m riding by,” Gittleman told police. “That’s the extent of it.”
During the investigation, officers also said Gittleman should not have been operating the golf cart because he had a cancelled driver’s license. Police told him a valid license was required to drive the golf cart in that area because it was not a private driveway or recreational area.
“No one ever told me that,” Gittleman said in the video.According to the police report, Gittleman has a history of disturbances in Hacienda Village, including prior arrests for battery and trespassing.
The case is now in trial posture. Gittleman is expected to appear in court later this week for trial scheduling.
