Publix parking lot machete fight lands two Florida men in jail

A Publix parking lot machete fight in Panama City left two Florida men hospitalized and facing aggravated battery charges after police said the confrontation grew out of a dispute over a woman. The Aug. 4 clash involved Everette Krichbaum, 52, and James Gay, 35, and detectives said Gay was the primary aggressor.

According to the police account, Krichbaum was sitting in his car when Gay approached and started a verbal argument. Gay then went back to his vehicle, returned with a machete in its sheath and struck Krichbaum in the face, investigators said. As the confrontation escalated, Krichbaum began swinging a hatchet, and both men were hurt before officers arrived.

Police records said Gay suffered a deep cut to his pinky finger that exposed bone, along with a puncture wound in his lower abdomen. Krichbaum had multiple cuts to his hands and face and told investigators he lost consciousness after Gay hit him in the head with the machete. Both men were taken by ambulance to a hospital for treatment.

The conflict was tied to a woman Krichbaum is dating and Gay used to date, according to Stephanie Marshall, who identified herself as Gay’s girlfriend and was listed as a witness in the Panama City Police Department report. Gay told police he had been attacked over his ex-girlfriend. He was arrested the same day and charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.