Florida Charges 2 Men After Machete-Hatchet Fight Over Love Interest

1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 9

Aug. 4 surveillance and arrest records show Everette Krichbaum, 52, and James Gay, 35, were charged after a Publix parking-lot fight in Panama City escalated to a hatchet and a machete.
Police said the clash grew out of a feud over a woman both men had dated, with Gay identified as the primary aggressor after he allegedly returned to his vehicle and struck Krichbaum with a sheathed machete.
Gay suffered a deep cut to his pinky finger and a puncture wound to his lower abdomen, while Krichbaum had lacerations to his hands and face and told investigators he lost consciousness after being hit in the head.
Both men were hospitalized, then arrested on Aug. 5 and booked into Bay County Jail; Gay faces aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, while Krichbaum is charged with aggravated battery causing bodily harm or disability.
Gay's arrest came with added scrutiny because he was released from prison in June 2024 after serving time in a 2011 aggravated-battery killing of a 16-year-old boy.