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Clearwater man accused of threatening people with rifle over parking dispute arrested

David Berry is charged with aggravated assault after an investigation was conducted by the Clearwater Police Department and Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney's Office.

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Clearwater police have arrested a man they say threatened another person and his daughter with an assault rifle during an argument about parking.

Detectives with the police department arrested 44-year-old David Berry in the aftermath of what went down last month. Chief Dan Slaughter reportedly called the family of the people involved Friday evening to let them know Berry was arrested.

"I was kind of happy until I saw his mugshot and he was smirking like he didn't really care or show any remorse," said Carrie Lee, the 18-year-old daughter of the landscaper.

The image of Berry coming at the family with a rifle can't be erased — the moment was caught on video. 

"Experiencing something like that, you just want to see something happen. I mean, good thing I lived through it by the grace of God, but if not me, who's next," Jeremy Lee said.

Berry was arrested and booked into the Pinellas County Jail but was released on a $5,000 bond Friday night. He's charged with aggravated assault after an investigation was conducted by the Clearwater Police Department and the Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney's Office.

"If the suspect had a problem with how someone was parking, he should have called the police and let us handle it," Slaughter said in a statement. "You don't arm yourself with an assault rifle and threaten someone over something so trivial."

RELATED: Clearwater man and his daughter confronted by neighbor with rifle over parking spot

It all started when 46-year-old Lee was mowing a woman's lawn on Boylan Avenue near Lakeview Road in July when a neighbor approached him yelling, he told 10 Tampa Bay. He said it was over a parking spot. 

"This is my property!" exclaimed Berry. "You're not allowed to park in my driveway."

Lee said this was probably his third or fourth time doing yard work at the woman's house and he parked in the same place he had before. He said he realized Berry was yelling his way while he was using the weed eater, he turned it off and apologized for parking in his driveway. 

At that point, Lee moved his trailer forward, hoping it would de-escalate the situation, but that's when Berry got a rifle out of his truck and continued to yell at Lee. 

His daughter Carrie caught the exchange on camera. 

"I really kind of didn't take him seriously until he pulled it out. I mean for what?" Lee said. "I’m way over here, you’re over there, what are you getting a gun for?"

Carrie, Lee's daughter, said she felt like if Berry would've shot at her father, she would have been caught in the crossfire, as well. 

"I knew I couldn’t make a sudden movement or anything so I just pulled out my phone and started recording," she said.

"This is my property," Berry can be heard saying in the video. "I would've shot you dead and you would've went to jail."

The father and daughter called 911 soon after the argument ended. Clearwater police officers responded but Berry did not face any charges — until now. Police Chief Dan Slaughter said the dispute never should've escalated that far.

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