Disney Tips Your Guide To A Great Disney Vacation
Most Disney vacation stories involve crowds, lines, and fireworks. This one is different. According to reporting from WDWNT and ClickOrlando, police have arrested a man accused of pointing a handgun at a Disney bus on a road near Walt Disney World earlier this week.
Because this involves a criminal case, the wording here matters. Everything below comes from an arrest affidavit as reported by ClickOrlando and relayed by WDWNT. These are allegations. An arrest and a charge are not a conviction, and where accounts differ, we’ll say so.
How the Call Came In
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said in its arrest affidavit that police received a call on Monday, October 5, at 9 p.m., according to ClickOrlando.
Investigators said a driver in a white Jeep pointed a gun at a Disney bus on East Buena Vista Drive near Bonnet Creek Parkway. The person who called 911 claimed the driver headed to Port Orleans Resort after the incident. When police arrived at the resort, they found the vehicle, but it was empty.
The Man Police Arrested
Later, David Charlot, 25, approached a police officer and said he was a DoorDash driver delivering food. WDWNT’s report says he allegedly delivered a DoorDash order to Port Orleans Resort after the incident. That detail comes from the reporting, and it’s not something we can confirm independently.
What He Reportedly Told Police
The affidavit includes a summary of what Charlot said. “Charlot told me in an initial verbal statement that he did indeed have a handgun in his car, but never pointed it at anyone or interacted with anyone,” the affidavit said, according to the news outlet. “He was just delivering food.”
A Different Account From a Witness
The affidavit describes what happened next. “The driver of the Jeep … got out and approached the bus,” it reads. “He then went back to the Jeep, reached into the center console of the Jeep, pulled out a black semi-automatic pistol, and pointed it directly at the Disney bus driver.”
The Bus Camera
After checking the bus’s security camera, police say they found Charlot pointing a gun at the driver, according to the reporting. We haven’t seen the footage, and the report doesn’t describe it beyond that.
Charlot has the right to contest the charge, and the legal process will determine what the evidence shows. Until then, the accurate way to describe the situation is that police allege it happened and that he says it didn’t.
Reading the Language Carefully
Stories like this use a few terms that are easy to blur together. “Arrested” means police took someone into custody. A “charge” is what prosecutors or police say a person is accused of, which is the aggravated assault with a firearm charge here. And “allegedly” is a reminder that an accusation is not the same as a finding.
An affidavit is a record of what police say they learned, including statements from the person arrested and from witnesses. Reading it means keeping each voice separate: what police allege, what the witness reported, and what Charlot says. We’ve tried to do that in each section above.
What the Reporting Doesn’t Say
It’s also worth noting what the information doesn’t include. It doesn’t say whether any passengers were on the bus, whether anyone was injured, or whether Disney changed any procedures afterward. We aren’t going to guess at those details.
What the reporting does establish is the location and the timing. The incident was reported on East Buena Vista Drive near Bonnet Creek Parkway, on a Monday night, and police later located the vehicle at Port Orleans Resort.
Staying Informed During Your Trip
For guests planning a Disney vacation, the information we have doesn’t point to any change in how Disney transportation operates. If you travel around the resort area by bus or car, it’s worth following official updates, and keeping basic road awareness in mind.
In this case, a 911 call is how police were alerted. If you ever see something that alarms you on the road, calling 911 is the right step.
Have questions about getting around Walt Disney World safely? Have you ever felt in danger while at the theme parks? Tell us in the comments what you’d like us to cover, and check official sources for updates on this case as it develops.
