Two Florida men have been charged with aggravated battery following a physical altercation involving a machete and a hatchet in the parking lot of a Publix grocery store in Panama City. The incident occurred on August 4.
According to a police report, the dispute between Everette Krichbaum, 52, and James Gay, 35, was reportedly over a shared love interest. Detectives identified Gay as the "primary aggressor" in the incident.
Krichbaum was reportedly sitting in his vehicle when Gay initiated a verbal altercation. Gay then allegedly returned to his car, retrieved a machete in its sheath, and struck Krichbaum in the face with it. Police documents indicate Krichbaum told investigators he lost consciousness after being hit with the machete.
During the confrontation, Krichbaum began swinging a hatchet, according to Gay's statement to police. The dispute reportedly stemmed from a woman named Stephanie Marshall, whom Krichbaum is currently dating and Gay previously dated. Marshall identified herself to Fox News Digital as Gay's girlfriend and is listed as a witness in the police report.
When law enforcement arrived, they found Gay with a deep cut on his pinky finger and a puncture wound in his lower abdomen. Krichbaum sustained multiple lacerations to his hands and face.
Both men were transported to a hospital for treatment. Gay reportedly told police he was "attacked... over his ex-girlfriend."
Gay was arrested on August 4 and charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. Records indicate this was not Gay's first violent altercation; in 2011, he was convicted of aggravated battery in the death of a 16-year-old boy near Panama City, an incident where he used a chain to fracture the teen's skull. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2012 and was released early in June 2024.
Krichbaum was arrested on August 5, after his release from the hospital, by the Washington County Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Marshals Service. He faces a charge of aggravated battery causing bodily harm or disability.
As of August 7, both Gay and Krichbaum were being held at the Bay County Jail. It was not immediately clear if Krichbaum has legal representation. Gay is listed as representing himself.