August 24 – Florida Man Arrested After Trying to Surf With His Pickup Truck

Despite constantly being overshadowed by California and Hawaii, Florida has made important contributions to surfing. Kelly Slater grew up surfing around the Space Coast, and Lisa Andersen was born in Ormond Beach. Jason Brzuszkiewicz, a 49-year-old man visiting from upstate New York, became an instant Florida man when he tried to match the surfing glory of Slater and Andersen while driving his Ram 1500 pickup truck in New Smyrna Beach.

According to a report aired by WSYR-TV, an ABC affiliate in Syracuse, Brzuszkiewicz is a resident of Bridgeport who spends part of the winter in the Sunshine State; he was spotted by deputies from the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office on patrol near a section of New Smyrna Beach that was closed to vehicle traffic during high tide. He drove around the barrier with a Do Not Enter sign and maneuvered the full-size truck with a crew cab diagonally into the waves, which is how seasoned Florida surfers negotiate sloppy shore breaks as they enter the water.

By the time the deputies made contact with Brzuszkiewicz, the waves were coming over the roof of the truck, which was pointed towards the horizon and looked like it was duck-tailing into a set. He was able to drive out of the surf to be arrested and charged with failing to pay the vehicular access fee. New Smyrna is one of a few Florida beaches where cars can drive on the sand after paying a toll fee, but access is restricted during sea turtle nesting season or when tide and weather conditions present a risk to drivers, which is the reason the beach was closed when Brzuszkiewicz tried surfing with his truck. He was also charged with possession of a controlled substance and paraphernalia.

See Also:

• Florida Man News – August 23
• Florida Man Calendar – August 22
• Florida Man Calendar – August 21

August 24 – Samurai Sword Attack Over Xbox Console Ends With An Injured Florida Man

A resident of Daytona Beach was assaulted with a katana and taken to the hospital after an argument with a friend about whose turn it was to keep an Xbox Series X video game console. The incident was reported by NBC affiliate WESH Channel 2 News of Orlando, and police officers were looking for a homeless 35-year-old Florida man as the prime suspect.

Officers from the Daytona Beach Police Department responded to a 911 call describing a Monday night incident featuring a screaming man running out of an apartment while covered in blood. The apartment on South Beach Street is located in a blighted part of town where Walter Grimes visited a friend to play video games. At some point during their gaming session, Grimes demanded the Xbox console, saying that it was his turn to keep it, but his friend disagreed.

The disagreement escalated into a violent argument before Grimes grabbed a samurai sword and struck the male victim in the head, shoulder, and left hand. The suspect ran away from the scene at the moment neighbors came out of their units to check out the commotion. Grimes’ friend was taken to the hospital for extensive stitching; fortunately, none of his three wounds were critical.

Jimmi Flynt, the public information officer for the Daytona Beach PD, explained that this incident marked the third time involving a Florida man armed with a katana that he has investigated. Over the last eight years, attacks featuring samurai swords in Florida have been reported in Broward County, Jacksonville, and St. Petersburg; the victims range from family members to joggers and even members of tactical FBI teams serving arrest warrants.