A 34-year-old veteran who fended off several Taser rounds after Nassau County deputies said he drew a machete on them was eventually taken into custody after a standoff.
Robert William Collins remained in jail without bail Wednesday, June 17, on charges of domestic battery by strangulation, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and resisting law enforcement without violence from a day earlier. Deputies had been called to his Yulee home in the 76000 block of Timbercreek Boulevard near Andora Drive 13 times since Jan. 1, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The latest case started with a resident reporting that his neighbor came over “bloody and cut up” saying she was attacked, according to the arrest report. Deputies arrived and found the victim with blood on her left arm and hand and were told the suspect held her down and cut her with a box cutter. He said “he is not well and they will both die tonight,” although the report doesn’t specify who “they” are (an earlier arrest report lists Collins living with a girlfriend and also having a 3-year-old daughter).
When deputies went to the home’s front door, they found Collins standing just outside with a machete visible in the front of his paints. Deputies told him to drop the machete. He was hesitant and then drew the machete and lifted it up and back, according to the arrest report. A sergeant discharged several Taser rounds that did not prevent him from retreating back into his home.
“Over a dozen deputies and supervisors responded to the scene, a perimeter was set, and rescue was staged. Rob came to the door several times and made contact with deputies but refused to come out of the home,” the report stated. “… Ultimately, deputies and an apprehension K-9 unit made entry and took the suspect, Robert Collins, into custody inside his residence.”
A Sheriff’s Office spokesman also confirmed that a distraction item and tear gas were fired into the home during the takedown.
Nassau County hasn’t had a deputy-involved shooting since 2024, according to Times-Union records.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Machete-wielding man fends off Tasers but can’t stop Nassau deputies
Reporting by Scott Butler, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Scott Butler, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union | USA TODAY Network
