A Florida man was arrested Wednesday after allegedly throwing a hatchet at a man on a boat, nearly hitting the victim in the head.
Bertil James Haney, 32, rowed his dinghy toward the victim’s boat around 11:00 p.m. in Boot Key Harbor, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) said in a Facebook post. Haney then allegedly hurled a hatchet through the man’s boat window and hit another window with an oar.
Haney is being accused of yelling racial epithets at the victim, Local 10 News reported, citing an arrest report. Though the report did not reveal what exactly the 32-year-old was yelling, it noted that the hatchet “narrowly” missed the 39-year-old victim’s head, as well as his dog, according to the outlet.
The victim was apparently inside his boat eating when the incident took place, the arrest report revealed, the outlet reported. Authorities reportedly said the victim retrieved the hatchet to defend himself and saw Haney departing the area.
When Haney was later found by authorities, he told them he was out on his boat “to buy cigarettes,” according to the arrest report, the outlet reported. Haney reportedly claimed another boat had closed in on his with those aboard yelling at him. He also claimed to be hit with a hammer, Local 10 News reported.
MCSO Deputy Christian Vega reportedly saw a bruise on Haney’s left arm. Vega said “it was not easily identifiable” and that it’s unknown if the mark came from a hammer, the outlet reported.
Haney further said he wasn’t near the victim’s vessel and added that he was unable to identify who allegedly attacked him with the hammer, Vega wrote in the arrest report, the outlet noted.
“Two witnesses corroborated the victim’s version of events and Haney was subsequently arrested,” the MCSO wrote on Facebook. (RELATED: Video Shows Police Shooting Suspect Who Allegedly Attacked Elderly Man With Hatchet)
There were no serious injuries reported, officials said.
Haney was charged with aggravated battery using a deadly weapon, throwing a missile into a vehicle and criminal mischief, according to MCSO inmate records. He is being held on a $25,000 bond.
