Category: Florida
5 craziest ‘Florida man’ crime stories of 2025 that sound fake — but aren’t
The notorious “Florida man” didn’t just live up to his reputation in 2025 — he shattered it.
The Sunshine State became a rolling highlight reel of off-the-rails antics, including a meth-fueled birthday joyride on a stolen train and a crazy police bodycam video capturing the arrest of a costumed suspect as stunned families watched in disbelief at a Chuck E. Cheese.
‘Would y’all put Mickey Mouse in handcuffs?’
So we hereby present the top five wildest incidents of the year involving the infamous “Florida man.”
1. Key West chaos: Man with meth pipe hijacks tourist train on birthday, police say
As Blaze News reported in July, a 57-year-old Florida man allegedly celebrated his birthday with a meth-fueled joyride by hijacking a tourist train in Key West.
Citing the arrest report, WPLG-TV said Jonathan Patrick Winslow stole the Conch Tour Train and even managed to pick up “two random passengers” while driving the trolley.
When confronted by cops, Winslow had a meth pipe in his possession — and he told deputies that it was a “weed pipe,” according to the police report.
Police said Winslow told officers he previously worked at the Conch Tour Train Depot, that he merely “borrowed” the train — and that “today is his birthday.”
Despite it being his birthday, Winslow was arrested and hit with burglary, grand theft auto, and drug charges.
2. Kids watch in shock as man in a mouse costume is arrested at Chuck E. Cheese
What was supposed to be a fun, innocent time for children devolved into a bizarre arrest caught on police bodycam footage that captured officers arresting a Chuck E. Cheese mascot — with kids and parents watching.
Blaze News reported in September that 41-year-old Jermel Jones was accused of allegedly purchasing items with someone else’s credit card.
“We’re gonna detain the mouse,” a police officer is heard telling a fellow cop on bodycam footage as they enter the pizza restaurant in Tallahassee.
An officer about to confront the man in the mouse costume is heard telling a woman, “Chuck E.’s a little bit busy, ma’am.”
A police officer orders the man in the costume, “Chuck E., come with me. Chuck E! Chuck E! Stop resisting! You’re being detained! Stop resisting! Let it go! Do not cause a scene here, sir.”
The Chuck E. Cheese mascot is handcuffed and then escorted out of the children’s restaurant as parents and kids watch in stunned disbelief.
A woman is heard yelling at the officers, “I would like y’all to walk him out the door instead of traumatizing all these children seeing someone like Chuck E. Cheese get arrested.”
She then asks, “Would y’all put Mickey Mouse in handcuffs?”
Jones was arrested and charged with theft of a credit card, criminal use of personal identification information, and fraudulent use of a credit card totaling over $100.
3. Florida man offers cops alcoholic drink during car chase — then gets tased
Only in Florida does a police pursuit include a suspect casually offering officers an alcoholic drink mid-chase.
In April, police were called to a local market after a report of a theft of alcoholic beverages, according to the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office.
Blaze News reported that 39-year-old Richard Christopher Smith of Miami was driving a black minivan in circles near the market, after which a miles-long police chase ensued.
The sheriff’s office said Smith was holding a can of Ketel One vodka spritz out the window of the minivan as he drove by a deputy attempting to pull him over. Smith is heard in the bodycam video telling the officer, “I was just going to give you a drink, that’s it.”
The sheriff’s office said in a statement, “We don’t know if he was expecting us to just say ‘Cheers!’ and let him go, or what.”
Officials added, “After his toast, Smith attempted to ram two patrol vehicles in the midst of getting all four tires flattened by spike strips.”
The minivan slowed down, and the crazy police pursuit ended several miles away in the parking lot of a business at the Sebring Airport. Bodycam video shows Smith exiting the minivan and being greeted by cops with their guns drawn and ordering the suspect to get on the ground.
However, the suspect is seen not obeying orders and walking toward a deputy — and Smith gets tased and falls headfirst on the pavement.
According to the bodycam video, Smith asks officers why he’s being arrested, to which the deputy replies, “A lot of stupid s**t, right now.”
Smith is heard saying to the officers in the bodycam footage, “You guys had fun, though, right?”
Jail records show that Smith was charged with battery on a law enforcement officer, two counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest, driving under the influence, refusal to submit to a DUI test, and petty theft.
4. Here’s how an alligator sent Florida folks flying
Florida motorcyclists were sent flying over their handlebars after slamming into a large alligator on a highway.
Blaze News reported in June that two motorcyclists collided with a six-foot alligator on Interstate 4 in Orange City. The impact of hitting the alligator crossing the highway sent both riders soaring into the air.
Motorcyclist Cameron Gilmore told WESH-TV, “I saw it, like, 10 feet in front of me, and I just, you know, I thought — I knew I was going to hit it. It kind of just happened so quick.”
Gilmore added, “I didn’t even have a second to do anything. Couldn’t put on the brakes or not. And I just had to hold on.”
Gilmore said the collision caused him to “start flying for a long way.”
The two bikers were rushed to the HCA Lake Monroe Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
5. Sex offender gets rejected at job interview — reacts by flinging bottles of urine
A Florida man reportedly turned a denied job interview into a criminal spectacle and threw bottles of urine at a store.
As Blaze News reported in April, 51-year-old John Connaughton asked for a job interview at a door store in St. Petersburg.
Connaughton was rejected, after which he lashed out by hurling multiple bottles filled with urine at the front of the store, according to an arrest affidavit. Urine splattered on building materials and splashed at least one employee, court documents say.
The affidavit accused Connaughton of causing more than $1,000 in damage “to various building materials” by “splattering [them] with urine.”
Image source: Florida Dept. of Law Enforcement
Connaughton reportedly fled, but two men chased after him. Connaughton — a registered sex offender — raised his skateboard over his head as if he were going to hit one of the men with it, according to the arrest affidavit.
The St. Petersburg Police Department arrested Connaughton, and he was charged with felony battery, criminal mischief, and two counts of aggravated assault, according to court records.
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Kids were ‘playing’ at a luxury resort pool. It all ended with Florida woman arrested, charged with aggravated child abuse.
A Florida woman found herself in handcuffs in what was supposed to be a fun family vacation at a luxury resort after she became physical with a 6-year-old boy at a pool, according to police.
The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that deputies responded to a report of a battery involving a child around 4:30 p.m. Friday at the Gaylord Palms Hotel — a four-star resort in Kissimmee.
“Witnesses reported that three children were playing in the pool when the splashing became aggressive,” the statement reads.
Police said 36-year-old Tiffany Lee Griffith of Fort Myers “entered the pool and yelled at a 6-year-old boy after he allegedly dunked her 6-year-old son underwater.”
The sheriff’s office claimed Griffith “placed her hands on the victim’s shoulders and forcibly dunked him underwater for several seconds.”
The alleged victim rushed out of the resort pool “visibly upset and suffering from a nosebleed.” The child reported the alleged incident to his parents, according to police.
Griffith then began yelling at the mother of the alleged victim before leaving the area, police said. Deputies located and arrested Griffith.
RELATED: Florida woman couldn’t take her dog on flight — so she drowned animal in airport bathroom: Police
The Osceola News-Gazette obtained the police report which stated, “After Tiffany was placed under arrest, she made spontaneous statements expressing remorse for what had occurred.”
The police report added, “It should also be noted that alcohol was believed to be a possible factor in this incident, according to hotel security.”
During her arrest, Griffith allegedly “understood and agreed to her [Miranda] rights. … She further stated she could recite them due to being a former law enforcement officer.”
Griffith was taken to the Osceola County Jail, and she was charged with aggravated child abuse.
According to the affidavit obtained by People magazine, Griffith told investigators she entered the pool to protect her child; she claimed he’s nonverbal and has autism.
“I was protecting my son,” Griffith told deputies, according to the affidavit.
Griffith told police she feared her son would be “drowned” by the other child, the affidavit said.
According to the affidavit, investigators said they reviewed security footage at the resort, and it matched a witness’ account of the incident.
During Griffith’s first court appearance Monday, a judge found probable cause and ordered her held without bond, according to WINK-TV. The judge also ordered Griffith to have no contact with the child or the child’s family.
The Gaylord Palms Hotel did not immediately respond to Blaze News‘ request for comment.
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Unhinged female absolutely pummels male employee at Planet Fitness in Florida
An unhinged female was caught on video absolutely pummeling a male employee at a Planet Fitness in Florida last week.
The attack took place Dec. 12 at the gym on SW 8th Avenue, the City of Miami Police Department told WFOR-TV.
‘She took things too far, brutally battered our client, and ultimately left him in the hospital with a broken nose and severe emotional distress.’
The female is seen on cellphone video climbing over the front counter of the Planet Fitness in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood, getting in a male worker’s face, and then socking him so hard in the face that the punch is audible on the clip.
You can view WFOR’s video report — which includes video of the attack — here.
She ends up throwing what appear to be eight more punches; no one intervenes, and the male employee doesn’t fight back.
It apparently all started when the male employee told the female gym member to lower her voice or he’d call the police, according to a police report seen on WPLG-TV’s video breakdown of the incident. She was reportedly making a scene in a locker room.
With that, the female “became irate,” balled her fists, and got in the male employee’s face — but the male pushed her away with both hands twice “in self-defense,” the arrest report says.
That’s when the cellphone clip of the physical attack begins.
Photo by Paul Weaver/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
“She took things too far, brutally battered our client, and ultimately left him in the hospital with a broken nose and severe emotional distress,” Alecsander Kohn, the victim’s attorney, told WFOR.
The female — identified as 35-year-old Kiara Bryant — also was seen on video in the gym’s parking lot trying to leave after the incident, WFOR noted. But she was soon arrested and charged with battery and disorderly conduct, the station said, adding that the victim’s attorney said he’s hoping the district attorney’s office will consider additional charges.
“This would be a case of felony battery,” Kohn added to WFOR. “Hopefully, through some strong advocacy, there will be a modification of the charges to reflect the severity of the injuries he sustained.”
Planet Fitness issued the following statement to the station: “The safety of our employees and members is our top priority, and we have zero tolerance for violence of any kind in our clubs. We are committed to providing a safe environment. The franchise group worked closely with local police and have canceled the member in question.”
The Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation Department told Blaze News that Bryant was booked into jail on the afternoon of Dec. 12 and bonded out early in the morning of Dec. 13.
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Christmas in the Sub-Tropics
TAMPA – Christmas time again, and I like the season. But it’s a very different business here in peninsula Florida…
9-time convicted felon opens fire on man, woman outside Florida home; he allegedly was after money owed to him: Cops
A nine-time convicted felon opened fire on a man and woman outside a Florida home early Sunday morning, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office said.
Deputies responded around 2:15 a.m. to a report of two people who had been shot in the 3100 block of 11th Street Court East in Bradenton, officials said.
‘The title of this video is exactly what is wrong with our country: “9-time convicted felon.” There should’ve never been a second time.’
When deputies arrived, they found a 32-year-old woman with a gunshot wound to her face and a 41-year-old man with a gunshot wound to his chest, officials said.
Both victims were taken to a hospital, officials said. The woman was later listed in stable condition, and the man’s injury was determined to be minor, officials said, adding that he has since been released.
The sheriff’s office said the shooter fled the scene prior to deputies’ arrival.
An investigation identified the suspect as 26-year-old Exzavion Richardson, officials said, adding that he was located in a vehicle several blocks away and detained during a traffic stop.
Multiple witnesses positively identified Richardson as the man who came to the residence looking for someone he claimed owed him money, officials said.
Witnesses reported that Richardson shot the male victim and then shot the female victim who also was standing outside the residence, officials said.
Richardson is charged with two counts of attempted murder, home invasion robbery, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, officials said. Jail records indicate he’s being held with no bond.
As for his criminal history, court records indicate Richardson has at least two battery convictions and multiple convictions for lewd and lascivious behavior, WFLA-TV reported. Jail records indicate Richardson stands 6’3” and weighs 205 pounds.
Commenters under WFLA’s video report about the shooting were not happy the suspect was back on the streets after so many run-ins with the law:
- “Lock up the judges that released him as accomplices to the crime,” one commenter wrote.
- “The title of this video is exactly what is wrong with our country: ‘9-time convicted felon.’ There should’ve never been a second time,” another commenter noted.
- “Where’s Vlad the Impaler when you need him,” another commenter wondered.
- “Only nine times; that’s practically a clean record,” another commenter stated sarcastically. “I mean, he didn’t kill the woman — just shot her in the face. Give him probation. 10th time is a charm, right[?] He will change smh.”
- “This dude either has a huge growth on his 4head or someone hit a Grand Slam on it,” another commenter observed.
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Gov. DeSantis joins Gov. Abbott in taking a stand against radical Islam
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) announced a new executive order on Monday, taking action against radical Islam.
DeSantis issued an order designating the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations as foreign terrorist organizations.
‘CAIR was designated as an unindicted co-conspirator by the United States Government in the largest terrorism-financing case in American history.’
The order, which took immediate effect, argued that the Muslim Brotherhood is a “transnational network with a long history of engaging in or supporting violence,” noting that the group created Hamas in 1987. It stated that the U.S. designated Hamas as a foreign terrorist organization in 1997 and that the group was responsible for 1,200 murders on October 7, 2023.
DeSantis’ order explained that the Palestine Committee, a group affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, founded CAIR in the U.S. in 1994.
“CAIR was designated as an unindicted co-conspirator by the United States Government in the largest terrorism-financing case in American history, and the court found ‘ample evidence to establish the association[]’ of CAIR with terrorist organizations,” the order read, citing United States v. Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development.
RELATED: Gov. Abbott talks redistricting victory, action against CAIR with Glenn Beck
KHALIL MAZRAAWI/AFP via Getty Images
“Florida agencies are hereby directed to undertake all lawful measures to prevent unlawful activities by these organizations, including denying privileges or resources to anyone providing material support,” DeSantis stated.
DeSantis’ order follows similar executive action from Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) in November.
RELATED: No Sharia law in Texas: Abbott draws a hard line against radical Islam
Greg Abbott. Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images
CAIR issued a statement declaring that it plans to file a lawsuit against DeSantis’ designation, accusing the governor of “serving the Israeli government over serving the people of Florida.”
“Like Greg Abbott in Texas, Ron DeSantis is an Israel First politician who wants to smear and silence Americans, especially American Muslims, critical of U.S. support for Israel’s war crimes,” CAIR National and CAIR-Florida said in a joint statement. “Governor DeSantis knows full well that CAIR-Florida is an American civil rights organization that has spent decades advancing free speech, religious freedom, and justice for all, including for the Palestinian people. That’s precisely why Governor DeSantis is targeting our civil rights group with this unconstitutional and defamatory proclamation.”
CAIR plans to hold a press conference on Tuesday to announce details of its forthcoming lawsuit against the state of Florida.
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Florida man armed to the teeth issues ‘dirty bomb’ warning after he crashes car, triggering lockdown
Police responded to a car crash at a grocery store late last week only to encounter a Florida man armed to the teeth, who warned he had a “dirty bomb,” according to authorities. The alarming dirty bomb remark triggered a lockdown of the area, police said.
Late Friday night, officers with the Haines City Police Department responded to reports of a vehicle crash at a Publix grocery store in Davenport.
‘Officers located a yellow plastic container secured with chains and locks with a radioactive warning label and immediately repositioned to a safe distance, shut down roadways, and requested assistance from the Bureau of Fire, Arson, and Explosives.’
Police said officers made contact with 43-year-old Benjamin Donald Johnson — a driver allegedly involved in the car accident.
Police said in a statement, “Officers were ultimately required to physically remove Johnson from the truck, at which point multiple firearms were observed in plain view.”
Police said while the suspect was being detained in the back of a patrol vehicle, an officer heard Johnson saying that there was a “dirty bomb” in his Chevrolet Silverado truck.
Police stated, “Officers located a yellow plastic container secured with chains and locks with a radioactive warning label and immediately repositioned to a safe distance, shut down roadways, and requested assistance from the Bureau of Fire, Arson, and Explosives.”
Police imposed a lockdown of the area near the vehicle in question for several hours “out of an abundance of caution” and to “ensure the safety” of anyone nearby.
Before the bomb squad arrived, a Florida State Fire Investigator at the crime scene confirmed the container was “emitting positive radioactivity,” according to police.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and an FBI bomb technician launched an investigation into the possible dirty bomb.
According to police, investigators said a device was inside the yellow container. The investigators allegedly determined it was a moisture density gauge, which is “commonly used for soil testing, and contained less radioactivity than a medical X-ray.”
The statement said the container was transported to the Haines City Police Department, where it will be “further inspected” by members of the Florida Bureau of Radioactive Material.
Officers conducted a search of Johnson’s truck, and police said they found a “multitude of firearms and ammunition, firearm magazine speed loaders, thermal scopes, knives, a battering ram, night vision goggles, cannabis, and gummies, which tested positive for THC.”
Johnson told investigators he was in the area for work and had been living out of his pickup truck with his dog, police said.
The dog was transferred to a local animal control service.
Jail records from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office show that Johnson was arrested and charged with hoax weapon of mass destruction, false report concerning a bomb or explosive, resisting an officer without violence, unlawful possession of cannabis resin, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and use of a firearm under the influence of alcohol.
Police noted that Johnson’s prior criminal history revealed he had been arrested for possession of marijuana in Tennessee.
Police said the case remains under investigation.
The Haines City Police Department and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Blaze News‘ request for comment.
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Armed Florida homeowner fights back against 4 thugs who reportedly try to force their way into his residence
Four unidentified individuals arrived at a south Florida home Saturday evening and tried to force their way inside, the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office told WPLG-TV.
However, the homeowner was armed with a gun and opened fire.
‘Everyone has a duty and a right to defend themselves when attacked. Good job homeowner!!!’
Indeed, gunshots and a male hollering in pain are audible on two home surveillance videos that are part of WPLG’s report. The station in a separate story said it all went down in the area of Southwest 141st Street and 110th Avenue in Miami-Dade’s Richmond Heights neighborhood around 6:40 p.m.
The homeowner struck one of the subjects in the upper body, deputies told WPLG, adding that the other three individuals fled the scene in an unknown direction.
The wounded male died at a nearby hospital, the station said, adding that the Homicide Bureau of the sheriff’s office has taken over the investigation.
The mother of the fatally shot male told WPLG the next morning in the separate story that she’s “in shock, disbelief” and “hurt.”
The mother, who did not provide her name, added to the station that while she was told that her son “tried to break into someone’s house,” she also noted, “That’s not him.”
Commenters under WPLG’s Facebook post about the mother’s reaction offered a number of opinions in the aftermath:
- “I am truly sorry for this mother, but the son apparently was involved with the wrong people and participated in a fatally stupid crime,” one commenter wrote. “No doubt that the homeowner feared for his life with four men trying to force their way inside. Either she really didn’t know her son at all, or he was easily misled.”
- “I’m pretty sure she is distraught,” another user observed. “But the bottom line is her son committed a crime. I feel bad for her, but not for him. Break into my home and find out.”
- “Everyone has a duty and a right to defend themselves when attacked,” another commenter declared. “Good job homeowner!!!”
- “The son should have made better choices, and he would still be here,” another user noted.
- “Play FAFO in Florida and this is the result!!!” another commenter exclaimed. “Love our freedom to protect ourselves.”
Authorities were continuing to search for the three remaining suspects, WPLG reported, adding that those with information can call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS.
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