A neighborhood dispute in Clermont escalated into a confrontation involving weapons, according to deputies.
CLERMONT, FL – A 60-year-old man was arrested after deputies say he threatened teenagers with a meat cleaver and kitchen knife during an argument over noise from a go-kart being worked on in a residential garage Sunday night. The incident unfolded shortly after 8 p.m. in a neighborhood where the victims said they had been revving the engine when the suspect approached.
Richard Carter, who lives across the street from the home, is facing two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. According to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Carter confronted the group and began yelling at them about the noise before the situation escalated.
Deputies said Carter threw a lawn chair across a driveway and told one of the teens to “get the f— out of his neighborhood.” The victims told deputies they attempted to calm him down, but he continued to escalate the encounter.
Confrontation escalates with weapons
According to investigators, Carter then went inside his home and returned with a meat cleaver and a large kitchen knife. Deputies say he approached one of the teens and threatened him, saying he would “bash your head in.”
The teen, fearing for his safety, raised his hands and fled the scene on a four-wheeler, returning to his nearby home. Deputies reported the teen was so shaken he could “barely speak” when recounting the incident to his mother, who then called 911.
The victims later returned to the scene to provide statements to responding deputies.
Body camera footage captures admission
Body camera video obtained by WFTV shows Carter acknowledging he confronted the teens with knives. “I didn’t do anything,” Carter said during the interaction.
A deputy responded, “Well, Richard, you just said that you went and picked up the first thing you could get out of your anger when you confronted them and it was a knife.”
Deputies noted that Carter could have contacted law enforcement to file a noise complaint instead of confronting the teens.
Carter was taken into custody and booked into the Lake County Jail. Records show he has since been released on bond. His next court appearance is scheduled for July 6.
Florida aggravated assault, Clermont Florida crime, Lake County Sheriff arrest, go kart noise dispute, meat cleaver threat