A Publix parking lot fight in Panama City left two Florida men charged with aggravated battery after a machete and hatchet were allegedly used.
A Publix parking lot fight in Panama City turned into a knife-and-blade brawl after two Florida men allegedly confronted each other over a woman, sending both to the hospital and then to jail. Authorities say the Aug. 4 clash ended with aggravated battery charges for Everette Krichbaum, 52, and James Gay, 35.
Police said Gay was the primary aggressor in the Publix parking lot incident. According to the arrest affidavit, Krichbaum was sitting in his car when Gay approached and began a verbal confrontation. Gay then allegedly went back to his vehicle, returned with a machete still in its sheath, and struck Krichbaum in the face. As the fight escalated, Krichbaum began swinging a hatchet, Gay told police. By the time officers arrived, Gay had a deep cut on his pinky finger that exposed bone and a puncture wound in his lower abdomen. Krichbaum suffered multiple cuts to his hands and face and told investigators he lost consciousness after being hit in the head with the machete.
The dispute was tied to a love interest, according to a witness identified as Stephanie Marshall, who told Fox News Digital that Gay had been dating the same woman Krichbaum is now dating. Marshall, who described herself as Gay’s girlfriend, was listed as a witness in a Panama City Police Department report. Gay also told police he had been attacked over his ex-girlfriend. Both men were taken by ambulance to a hospital before the case moved into the courts.
“A Publix parking lot fight in Panama City left two Florida men charged with aggravated battery after a machete and hatchet were allegedly used.”
Gay was arrested the same day and charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. Krichbaum was arrested the next day, Aug. 5, after he was released from the hospital, according to 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 Aug. 7, both men were being held in the Bay County Jail. Gay is listed as representing himself, and it was not immediately clear whether Krichbaum had an attorney.
The fight did not happen in a vacuum. Records show Gay has a violent criminal history tied to a much earlier case in the Panama City area. In 2011, he was convicted of aggravated battery in the killing of a 16-year-old boy near Panama City after using a chain wrapped around his hand to fracture the teen’s skull. Other co-defendants were also charged in that death. Gay was sentenced in 2012 to 15 years in prison and was released early in June 2024, according to the Florida Department of Corrections.
Cases like this resonate beyond one Florida parking lot because they show how quickly personal conflict can turn dangerous in public. For ordinary shoppers, workers, and families, the story is a reminder that everyday spaces can become crime scenes in an instant. The next developments will center on the criminal cases against both men and how prosecutors handle the violent history now attached to one of them. The bottom line: a private feud spilled into a public place and ended with two men charged, which is exactly the kind of escalation communities want stopped before someone gets killed.
Frequently asked questions
What happened in the Publix parking lot fight?
Police say Everette Krichbaum and James Gay got into a violent confrontation in Panama City on Aug. 4. A machete and a hatchet were allegedly used, and both men were injured.
Why did the argument start?
The dispute was tied to a woman Krichbaum is dating and Gay used to date, according to a witness and police records. Gay also told police he was attacked over his ex-girlfriend.
What charges do the men face?
Gay was charged with Aggravated Battery with a deadly weapon. Krichbaum was charged with aggravated battery causing bodily harm or disability.
Did James Gay have a prior violent conviction?
Yes. Records show he was convicted in 2011 in connection with the killing of a 16-year-old boy near Panama City and was sentenced in 2012 to 15 years in prison.
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