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Inset: Yacov Levi (Miami-Dade County Sheriff”s Office). Background: Body camera footage shows Surfside police officers arresting Levi in Surfside, Florida, in 2023 (WPLG/YouTube).
A troubling incident unfolded on a Florida beach when a man allegedly charged at beachgoers with a drill and an umbrella, threatening, “I’m going to kill you.”
The individual in question, identified as 50-year-old Yacov Levi, now faces serious charges including attempted aggravated battery and battery on a law enforcement officer, both felonies, in addition to misdemeanor criminal mischief. Levi appeared in Miami-Dade County court for the first time this past Friday to address these allegations.
The events took place on Wednesday at a beach located behind a condominium complex on Collins Avenue in Surfside, Florida, just north of Miami Beach. According to an arrest affidavit cited by Law&Crime, the situation escalated when Levi requested a seat in a beach chair, only to be refused because he was not a resident of the complex.
This rejection allegedly led to Levi’s outburst. Witnesses report that he angrily seized a beach umbrella and attempted to strike someone with it. The situation intensified when, according to authorities, Levi grabbed a drill and charged at a man while issuing his deadly threat.
As chaos ensued, one man managed to flee before Levi directed his aggressive pursuit towards another individual. Multiple onlookers witnessed Levi running with the drill, as detailed in the court documents.
Officers with the Surfside Police Department were called to the area in reference to a man “with a drill charging at people on the beach.” When they got there, they saw the suspect sitting on a beach chair with a drill “with a large sand digging bit attached to it.”
The encounter was captured on an officer’s body camera and shared by local independent outlet WPLG.
Officers raised their Tasers to Levi and ordered him to put his hands up and get on the ground. He was handcuffed and arrested, but not before he allegedly drilled into a beach chair, causing about $500 in damages.
Officers observed the drill, which is several feet long with its attachment.
Levi had been arrested at the beach before, the TV station reported. In 2023, officers arrested him for allegedly trying to steal a jet ski while naked. The case was later dropped.