POLK COUNTY, Fla. – A Dade City man was arrested late Saturday night after deputies say he threatened a group of people following a minor traffic crash northwest of Lakeland, punched an 18-year-old, and claimed he would shoot them, authorities said.
According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded around 10:19 p.m. on January 10, 2026, to a reported crash at County Road 54 and O’Connor Road. Investigators determined the crash involved a minor collision between two pickup trucks.
One of the drivers, identified as 46-year-old Jamie Dean Mathis of Dade City, exited his vehicle and aggressively approached the occupants of the other truck, as well as friends who had been riding in a separate vehicle not involved in the crash, deputies said.
Victims and witnesses told investigators that Mathis verbally threatened the group and punched an 18-year-old male in the face. As the group attempted to leave the area in their vehicles, Mathis allegedly grabbed a door handle and tried to open one of the vehicles.
When he was unable to get inside, Mathis reportedly yelled that he was going to get a gun and shoot everyone, prompting the group to flee the scene and call 911.
Deputies located Mathis nearby and took him into custody while the incident was investigated. Authorities later learned the pickup truck Mathis had been driving had been reported stolen out of Pasco County.
Although no one at the scene saw Mathis with a firearm and no gun was recovered, deputies said Mathis made a troubling statement during an interview, telling detectives that if he had a gun, he would have shot everyone involved.
Mathis was arrested and transported to the Sheriff’s Processing Center, where he was charged with attempted burglary of a conveyance, battery, seven counts of assault, and leaving the scene of a crash.
The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office responded to recover the stolen vehicle. Deputies said additional charges are expected in Pasco County as that investigation continues.
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