A lot of weird things happen in Florida. We're here every Friday morning to give you the week's weirdest. This week, that includes a dad who handed his suicidal son a gun, a robber who was "just kidding" and barbershop SWAT raids.
Father Responds to Suicidal Son by Handing Him a Gun
Given the stigma surrounding mental illness, talking to your parent as a 13-year-old about struggling with suicidal thoughts is pretty brave. Apparently though Osceola father County Michael Yatsko was sick of his son "acting cowardly."
Police were allegedly called to 45-year-old Yatsko's home last Tuesday after they received reports that Yatsko slammed the boy's head into a table. Though apparently the police took no action that.
The next day the man told his son that he didn't love him and wanted him to move into his mothers home. The boy then confessed that he had thought about killing himself. So Yatsko handed him a gun and told him to do it.
"Do it. Kill yourself," he allegedly said. "I don't really care."
Police were called again, and found that the gun was unloaded. Yatsko said he never left the boy alone with the gun. He was arrested and charged with child abuse and neglect charges.
Man Attempts to Rob Bar, Says He Was "Just Kidding" When Caught
JK only works on the internet, not in the court of law.
Last Sunday, Stephen Randall Koulias, 22, walked into a bar in Holiday, Florida, with a bandana over his face and carrying a gun. He pointed the weapon at the cash register and demanded money. He also pointed the gun at customers and told everyone to put their hands up because it was a "hold up." Classic robbery stuff. Apparently however there might have been a few too many people in the bar for Koulias's liking.
So he took off the bandana and told everyone he was "just kidding" and walked out.
Police later found him in possession of an airsoft gun. He said he had the gun because he wanted to shoot frogs.
Anyone want to take a guess if there was meth involved? Because there was probably meth involved. Police found a needle in his car with meth residue on it. He was arrested and charged with attempted robbery.
Orange County Sheriff's Department Used SWAT-Style Raids to Check Barbershop Licenses
Don't they have actual crime going on up there in Orlando? Back in 2010 the Orange County Sheriff's Department decided black barbershops were major hubs of criminal activity, so they decided to use SWAT-style raids to check on the places.
At one joint called Strictly Skillz, they had eight to 10 deputies in masks and bullet proof vests burst in during the middle of a busy weekend and demanded to see everyone's hair cutting license. They found no illegal activity.
The barber sued, and the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that in fact their civil rights had been violated. May the offender forever be cursed with bad haircuts.
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