Man Arrested for Threatening Target Employees with Knife-Like Lighter - Internewscast Journal

David Martin Odehn, 29, was arrested in Gainesville, Florida, after allegedly threatening Target employees with what they believed was a knife. The incident occurred around 10:30 a.m. when Odehn entered the store looking for his belongings. After being told they were not available, he demanded water. Employees asked him to leave multiple times.

According to store employees, when they denied his request for free water, Odehn reportedly pulled a knife from his pocket and threatened them. One employee described him as "very aggressive," claiming he jabbed at her with the knife and attempted to access employee-only areas in pursuit of a drink. Feeling threatened, she called 911, prompting Odehn to flee the scene.

Upon the arrival of Gainesville police, the responding officer spoke with Odehn outside the store. Initially cooperative, Odehn explained that he was upset after not finding his bags and asked for water. He claimed to have brandished a lighter in a threatening manner, misinterpreted as a knife by the employees.

Backup officers arrived and attempted to search Odehn for weapons, but he resisted, yelling that he wouldn't go to jail and demanding they kill him. While in the patrol vehicle, Odehn exhibited erratic behavior, banging his head and kicking the doors, leading officers to restrain him with a rip hobble.

Odehn now faces charges of aggravated assault with intent to commit a felony and resisting an officer without violence. He has no local criminal record, though he was previously arrested in Clay County, and is noted as homeless on the arrest report. A judge has set his bail at $3,500.