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 man is accused of charging at people on a Florida beach with a drill and an umbrella while declaring, "I'm going to kill you."
Yacov Levi, 50, stands charged with attempted aggravated battery and battery on a law enforcement officer, both felonies, as well as misdemeanor criminal mischief. He made his first appearance in Miami-Dade County court on Friday.
On Wednesday, Levi was on a beach behind a condominium complex on Collins Avenue in Surfside, Florida, which lies just north of Miami Beach. According to an arrest affidavit obtained by Law&Crime, he "asked to sit on a beach chair" but was turned down because "he doesn't live here."
Levi reportedly "became irate," grabbing a beach umbrella and trying to hit someone with it. Shortly after, authorities said he "grabbed a drill and charged" at a man, saying, "I'm going to kill you."
One man ran away before the suspect charged at another one, with multiple witnesses viewing Levi "running with the drill," the court document continues.
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.
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