AUGUST 7–In a faceoff straight out of the news team rumble scene in “Anchorman,” a machete-carrying man faced off against a hatchet-wielding opponent in the parking lot of a Publix supermarket, according to police.
As detailed in a criminal complaint, cops responded Tuesday to the Panama City business and found the duo “each suffering from lacerations to their hands.”
Investigators say Everette Krichbaum, 52, was in his car when James Gay, 35, “drove up and stopped near him.” After a “verbal altercation,” Gay exited his vehicle and approached Krichbaum “in an aggressive manner.”
Gay then returned to his ride, cops charge, and “retrieved a machete” and struck Krichbaum in the face with the sheathed weapon. Krichbaum told police that he initially “brandished a hatchet in an attempt to deter" Gay.
During the 4:30 PM “struggle over both weapons,” the men each sustained hand injuries. Krichbaum, police reported, said that Gay “struck him in the head, rendering him unconscious.”
After being read his rights, Gay reportedly admitted stopping his car to confront Krichbaum “regarding prior issues” and claimed that Krichbaum “had been harassing him.” Gay, cops say, admitted that he had the opportunity to “leave the scene but chose not to due to personal pride” and that he struck Krichbaum “in the head and stomped him while he was on the ground.”
A review of Publix surveillance video contributed to the police determination that Gay was the confrontation’s primary aggressor. Charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, Gay is locked up in lieu of $50,000 bond. Krichbaum, charged with aggravated battery, was booked into the county jail, where bond has yet to be set.
Gay (left) and Krichbaum are seen above in mugshots taken by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office. Both men were treated at a local hospital for their injuries.
Gay was released from state prison in 2024 after serving 12 years in connection with the 2011 killing of a Florida teenager. Police alleged that Gay used “a chain that was wrapped around his hand to strike” Jacob Hendershot, 16, in the face, causing “a fracture to his skull below his right eye.” Gay’s codefendants then subsequently murdered Hendershot. (2 pages)