An 80-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday after an altercation in the parking lot of the Sebastian Home Depot escalated into a confrontation involving a firearm.
The incident was captured on surveillance video by Home Depot, showing an altercation taking place before it escalated.
The elderly suspect, identified as Richard Mandeville of Sebastian, was involved in a dispute with the driver of an SUV. The disagreement began when the SUV attempted to reverse out of a parking spot, only to be blocked by Mandeville’s motorized scooter. Mandeville then yelled at the SUV driver, accusing him of blocking his path. As tensions heated, the incident turned physical.
During the confrontation, the driver exited his vehicle and Mandeville hit him with the scooter, knocking him to the ground. The driver then got up and began punching Mandeville. Thats when Mandeville pulled out a firearm and pointed it at the driver, pulling the trigger multiple times.
However, the gun did not fire. A bystander intervened, successfully disarming Mandeville and preventing further escalation.
Both the Sebastian Police Department and the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene, separating the individuals and securing the area.
The driver of the SUV provided a statement, telling deputies that Mandeville was blocking his vehicle from leaving the parking space with the motorized scooter. Then, Mandeville began yelling for the driver to move out of his way, which prompted the driver to exit his SUV and confront him.
The driver said Mandeville then hit him with the scooter, knocking him to the ground. When he stood back up, he began punching Mandeville in retaliation. That’s when Mandeville pulled a revolver from his waistband, pointed it at the driver, and began pulling the trigger multiple times. The driver said the firearm failed to discharge.
Mandeville provided a statement to deputies telling his version of what unfolded. He said the SUV was backing out of a parking spot, in the way of his scooter from reaching his vehicle. Mandeville said he began to yell, causing the driver to exit his vehicle and punch him in the face, which prompted him to pull out his firearm. However, the driver of the SUV said he only punched Mandeville after being hit with the scooter.
According to the affidavit, Mandeville admitted that he pointed the gun at the driver and pulled the trigger several times, but the gun never went off. Mandeville told deputies that he believed the gun misfired due to a faulty primer on the bullets and stated, “The driver is lucky he wasn’t dead.”
Deputies said the firearm was a black Taurus .38 Special revolver and noticed that the cylinder was cleared of any ammunition.
Several witnesses provided written statements to officers with the Sebastian Police Department, which corresponded with the surveillance video recorded by Home Depot, the affidavit said.
Deputies conducted a search on Mandeville and located ammunition with six .38 Special rounds. Both the firearm and ammunition were collected and submitted as evidence.
Mandeville was taken into custody and charged with Battery on Persons 65 Years or Older and Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon Without Intent to Kill. He was transported to the Indian River County Jail.
19th Judicial Circuit Judge Robert Meadows then released Mandeville from jail on his own recognizance without having to post bond. However, as a condition of bond, he must have no contact with the victim, attend Veterans Treatment Court (VTC), and must surrender all firearms. His arraignment is set for October 24th.
