Haines City Man, 44, Grabs Deputy's Taser After Lakeland Foot Chase

A 44-year-old Haines City man is facing a stack of felony charges after Polk County deputies say a routine pedestrian stop on Maine Avenue in Lakeland turned into a foot chase, a physical struggle, and an attempt to grab a deputy's Taser. Antwan Javaris Davis was stopped around 8:18 pm last Sunday after committing a pedestrian violation, and the encounter quickly spiraled once he could not produce identification.

According to the Polk County Sheriff's Office, Davis gave the deputy a name and date of birth that did not match anyone in Florida's database, then provided a Social Security number that turned out to belong to a white female. When the deception unraveled, Davis ran from the deputy, touching off a foot pursuit before he was caught. In an official release, the sheriff's office said Public Information Officer Brian Bruchey served as the media contact for the incident, which the agency says began as a minor pedestrian stop before escalating.

#ArrestedByThePolkCountySheriffsOffice - 44-year-old Antwan Javaris Davis of Haines City.

On August 9, 2026 at around 8:18 pm, a PCSO deputy stopped a man on Maine Avenue in Lakeland after he committed a pedestrian violation.

The man had no identification on him, so he… pic.twitter.com/t9lPkbm5Od

— Polk County Sheriff 🚔 Grady Judd (@PolkCoSheriff) August 13, 2026

During the struggle that followed, deputies say Davis tried to take the deputy's Taser. The deputy managed to deploy the Taser on Davis instead, which allowed the arrest to be completed. He was then transported to the sheriff's processing center.

A Long List of Charges and Prior Arrests

Davis now faces charges of battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting with violence, resisting without violence, depriving a law enforcement officer of means of protection, providing a false name to a law enforcement officer, and violation of probation, per the sheriff's office. He was also identified as having an outstanding Polk County warrant for violation of probation that included battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting without violence, possession of over twenty grams of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia, along with an outstanding Orange County warrant for failure to appear on a possession of oxycodone charge.

The sheriff's office describes Davis as having an extensive criminal history, including prior arrests for trafficking oxycodone, grand theft, petit theft, possession of cannabis with intent to sell, possession of drug paraphernalia, battery on a law enforcement officer, uttering a forged instrument, resisting with violence, resisting without violence, tampering with evidence, violation of probation, and driving with a license suspended or revoked.

What the Charges Could Mean Under Florida Law

Several of the charges against Davis carry serious weight under state statute. Depriving an officer of a weapon such as a Taser is a third-degree felony under Florida Statute § 843.025, punishable by up to five years in prison, five years of probation, and a $5,000 fine, according to the Florida Senate. Resisting an officer with violence under § 843.01 is likewise a third-degree felony carrying up to five years in prison, and simple battery on a law enforcement officer under § 784.07 is automatically elevated from a misdemeanor to a third-degree felony with the same maximum sentence.

Providing a false name to a law enforcement officer during a lawful detention, meanwhile, is a first-degree misdemeanor under Florida Statute § 901.36, punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine — though it can rise to a third-degree felony if a real person is adversely affected by the false information, per the same statute. Deputies say the Social Security number Davis provided belonged to a real woman, though it remains unclear from available records whether that elevation applies in this case.

Why Lakeland Deputies Are Watching Pedestrian Stops

The stop that led to Davis's arrest happened in a region with a documented pedestrian safety problem. Smart Growth America's 2024 Dangerous by Design report ranked the Lakeland-Winter Haven metro area 21st most dangerous in the nation for pedestrians, while Florida ranked as the second most dangerous state overall, according to the City of Lakeland. The city's Vision Zero Action Plan, adopted last year, tallied 19 traffic fatalities, 84 serious injuries, and 4,801 total crashes in 2024 alone.

Those numbers help explain why local law enforcement keeps a close eye on pedestrian violations. Polk County was awarded a $720,000 federal Safe Streets and Roads for All grant in February 2023 to build a countywide Vision Zero plan, according to the Polk County Board of County Commissioners, and planning documents from the Polk Transportation Planning Organization note the county is the fastest-growing in Florida and seventh fastest-growing in the country — a surge in traffic and foot travel that has only sharpened the stakes of everyday street enforcement.

Part of a Pattern for Polk Deputies

This is not the first time this year that a Polk County deputy has faced danger during a routine stop. In April, the sheriff's office reported that a driver nearly ran over a deputy after slamming into a marked patrol vehicle before being apprehended. Sheriff Grady Judd has repeatedly used such incidents to publicize the risks his deputies face during seemingly routine encounters, a pattern that continues with the Maine Avenue stop that ended with a Taser and a lengthy list of felony charges against Davis.