A dispute involving a woman escalated into a violent parking lot fight involving a machete and a hatchet outside a Panama City Publix on Tuesday, August 4, leading to the arrest of two local men.
Everette Krichbaum and James Gay were both taken into custody following the incident and charged with aggravated battery. Both men sustained injuries during the altercation and received medical treatment at a hospital before officers booked them into jail.
According to police investigators, the encounter began while Krichbaum was sitting in his vehicle. Gay approached Krichbaum, and the two men started arguing. Officers identified Gay as the primary aggressor in the confrontation.
Investigators stated that Gay then walked to his own vehicle, returned with a sheathed machete, and struck Krichbaum in the face.
Krichbaum told responding officers that the blow to his head caused him to briefly lose consciousness. Gay told police that Krichbaum responded during the clash by swinging a hatchet at him.
Authorities said the conflict stemmed from a personal dispute involving a mutual acquaintance. Stephanie Marshall, who was listed as a witness in the police report, identified herself as Krichbaum’s current girlfriend and Gay’s former partner.
Gay was arrested on August 4 and charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. Krichbaum was arrested the following day after his release from the hospital and faces a charge of aggravated battery causing bodily harm or disability.
State corrections records show Gay was previously convicted of aggravated battery in connection with a 2011 incident near Panama City that resulted in the death of a 16-year-old. He received a 15-year prison sentence in 2012 and was released in June 2024.
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