According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, 33-year-old Maximiliano Vargas’ behavior disrupted normal mall operations and frightened customers. When a victim asked him to leave the mall, he refused and pulled out a four-inch pocket knife.
Police say the victim placed a barricade between himself and Vargas while yelling for him to stop. Vargas eventually left the mall and got on a Hartline bus. He then got combative with the bus driver and pulled out the knife again and threatened to kill all of the people on the bus.
Deputies responded to the area of Gornto Lake Road S and Causeway Boulevard where the bus was stopped. While trying to detain Vargas, he forcefully grabbed a deputy.
Deputies discovered that Vargas had bloodshot watery eyes and smelled like he had been drinking, of which he admitted to.
He was charged with eleven counts of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Battery on a Law Enforcement Officer, Disorderly Intoxication and Disorderly Conduct.
