WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – A visit to a local watering hole took a violent turn early Wednesday morning, leaving one man severely injured and another behind bars facing attempted murder charges.
Deputies with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office rushed to the Tuff Luck Saloon on Avenue G NW just after 1:00 a.m. following reports of a stabbing. When first responders arrived, they found a chaotic scene and an adult male victim suffering from extensive wounds.
According to the arrest report, the victim was bleeding profusely from deep lacerations to his abdomen, wrist, and head. Deputies also noted the man had suffered a broken nose during the altercation.
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Investigators quickly identified the suspect as 33-year-old Tylor Scott Hartzog of Winter Haven. He was taken into custody at the bar without further incident. Deputies recovered the weapon allegedly used in the assault—a military-style Ka-Bar knife with an 8-inch blade.
While Hartzog told detectives he was acting in self-defense, investigators say the evidence and witness accounts told a different story. The Sheriff’s Office determined the attack was criminal in nature rather than a protective act.
Hartzog was booked into the Sheriff’s Processing Center early Wednesday. He is charged with Attempted 2nd Degree Murder with a Weapon, a first-degree felony, and Improper Exhibition of a Dangerous Weapon.
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