VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — Deputies in Florida arrested a naked man outside of a gas station after the suspect was accused of attacking a land surveyor with a machete.
In a news release, deputies with the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said they were called after a land surveyor reported he was approached by a naked man with a “large machete-style” knife who demanded the victim’s clothes, wallet and phone.
Deputies said that the suspect, identified as Brandon Wright, had been picking palmetto berries in the woods when he came out and attacked the victim, throwing both the machete and the berries at him. The victim was hit by the handle of the machete and was not hurt, deputies said in their news release.
Investigators told WFTV that Wright then took off, running into the woods and then driving away. Shortly later, deputies began receiving calls about a naked man outside of a gas station.
One deputy responding to the call said that they remembered the suspect from an incident in August 2021, when Wright was accused of running around naked in the same area, WFTV reported.
The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office shared video from its helicopter on the department’s Facebook page, showing a naked man outside a gas station in DeLand. In the video, the man can be seen doing pushups and chasing after cars.
Naked armed robbery suspect arrested: 8/8/22NAKED SUSPECT IN ARMED ROBBERY ATTEMPT ARRESTED AT DELAND GAS STATION A naked suspect who threw a machete at a surveyor and tried to rob him of his clothes was taken into custody at a DeLand gas station on Monday after approaching several passing vehicles. Deputies responded to an area across from the Volusia County Fairgrounds shortly before 10 a.m. Monday after the surveyor reported a naked man approached him while carrying a large machete-style knife. The victim said the suspect was picking palmetto berries in the woods, but eventually came running out of the brush brandishing the machete and demanding his clothes, wallet and phone. As the victim began to comply with the demands, he said the suspect hurled the machete at him along with a handful of palmetto berries. The handle of the machete bounced off the victim’s chest, and he wasn’t injured. The suspect took off into the brush and got into a white Dodge Challenger. Meanwhile, a responding deputy recognized the circumstances and suspect description were similar to an August 2021 call involving Brandon Wright running around naked in the same area. Minutes later, Wright’s vehicle passed a license plate reader in the DeLand area, and soon after that it was reported that a naked man was outside a gas station at 899 S. Spring Garden Ave., DeLand. Air One spotted Wright from overhead and gave updates on his location until DeLand police officers arrived on scene. Wright laid down in the parking lot for the officers and was taken into custody without incident. Wright (DOB 11/23/1987) was charged with attempted robbery with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and transported to the Volusia County Branch Jail, where he was in custody without bond as of this writing. His prior convictions include kidnapping/false imprisonment (2009), possession of cocaine (2013 and 2018), possession of a firearm/ammunition by a convicted felon and battery on a law enforcement officer (2018) and resisting an officer without violence (2021).
Posted by Volusia Sheriff's Office on Tuesday, August 9, 2022
Deputies in the helicopter coordinated with the DeLand Police Department, leading officers to the gas station to arrest Brandon Wright. Wright was charged with multiple felonies, including attempted robbery with a deadly weapon, WFTV reported.
Wright has a lengthy criminal record, which includes prior convictions for kidnapping and battery on a law enforcement officer, deputies told WFTV.
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