Man breaks into zoo — then attacks workers and visitors, Florida police say
A man behaving “erratically” was taken into custody after he attacked visitors and employees at a Florida zoo, officials said.
The man broke into ZooWorld in Panama City on May 10, according to a news release from the Bay County Sheriff’s Office.
By the time zoo staff called 911, the man had assaulted two visitors and three employees at the park, the release said.
After the three employees were attacked, the staff retreated and worked to keep other visitors away from the man, who was “screaming threats to anyone around him,” the sheriff’s office said.
A bus full of children was at the zoo at the time, the sheriff’s office said.
The man didn’t attempt to enter any wildlife enclosures or fight any animals, according to the release.
When deputies arrived at the scene, the man continued to threaten people and make “unintelligible sounds,” according to the sheriff’s office.
The man fought two deputies who approached him and was eventually placed in handcuffs, according to the release. He was taken to a local facility for a medical evaluation.
Following the evaluation, the man will be taken to Bay County Jail, according to the sheriff’s office.
He will face charges including five counts of battery, two counts of battery on a law enforcement officer, two counts of resisting with violence, resisting without violence, disorderly conduct and trespass after warning, according to the release.
“(The man’s) actions were aggressive and unpredictable, and deputies felt the employees at Zoo World did a remarkable job keeping other patrons safe until deputies arrived,” the sheriff’s office said in the release.
