OCALA, Fla. — A 36-year-old man was arrested Sunday night after waving an axe at employees at an Ocala carwash. Bryce Thayer was taken into custody at the Tidal Wave Auto Spa on SW 95th Street Road after an 18-year-old victim tackled and disarmed him.
The incident, which was captured on surveillance video, occurred around 8:30 p.m. as the employees were closing for the night. Thayer approached two employees and the situation escalated when the workers told Thayer he needed to leave the property, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
Thayer became irate, pulled out the axe, and approached the employees in a threatening manner, the sheriff’s office said.
In an effort to disarm the suspect, the 18-year-old employee lunged at Thayer and forced him to the ground. A second employee was then able to pull the axe from Thayer’s grip. The teen restrained Thayer until law enforcement reached the scene.
When deputies searched Thayer, they found drug paraphernalia, according to the sheriff’s office.
Thayer remained in Marion County jail Wednesday morning on $65,000 bond charged with two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to jail records.
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