YULEE, Fla. – A convicted felon who was just released from prison may be headed back to the slammer after Nassau County Sheriff’s Office deputies said he bludgeoned, robbed and then carjacked a disabled man.
According to investigators, the 63-year-old victim was at a home on North Prince Drive in Yulee to watch a football game, when a man he didn’t know was later identified as Onquarius Swails, 35, entered the home and told everyone inside that he had just been released from prison and was threatening to kill the person responsible for being sent to prison.
The victim told police he walked out of the home towards his car when Swails followed him outside and asked for a ride. Investigators said when the victim refused, Swails grabbed the victim’s walking stick and beat him with it before ordering the victim to hand over a wallet and keys to a car that belonged to the victim.
Although the victim did not see a handgun, he told deputies that Swails bragged about being armed with one.
According to the arrest report, when the victim had secretly called 911 while he was being robbed. A 911 dispatcher could hear the victim pleading with the attacker.
Another deputy eventually located the victim’s stolen car and pulled it over.
Bodycam video of the traffic stop showed deputies arresting Swails at gunpoint and ordering his passenger to exit the stolen car. In the video, police not only recovered the victim’s car but also his wallet which Swails was still in possession of. Several minutes into the video, Swails is seen telling a deputy that he was just released from prison earlier that day.
According to the Florida Department of Corrections, Swails was released from prison two days before his reported encounter with the victim. Swails had gone to prison after he was convicted on multiple charges of burglary and grand theft. Records show that Swails has a documented violent criminal history that includes convictions for assault and battery and a stint in prison for selling cocaine.
Several people who live near the home where the victim was assaulted confirmed to News4JAX that the victim did not know Swails. One of the neighbors also confirmed that the victim was beaten pretty badly before he was robbed and carjacked.
News4JAX Crime and Safety Analyst Tom Hackney said this case is an example of a revolving door when it comes to repeat offenders.
“You get these people who are incarcerated, and that’s what they know. That’s what they like and it’s almost like a drawback to doing something that leads them right back to prison,” Hackney said
Due to Swails criminal history and the nature of the new charges he now faces, a judge set his bond at more than a half million dollars.
Swails remains in custody inside the Nassau County jail.