A Florida man was arrested last week while dressed in a full jester costume after he threatened a landscaper with a 12-inch-long dagger, apparently perturbed by the sound of the worker’s lawnmower, cops said.
The angry jester, Anthony Marzola, was cuffed last Thursday following the alleged assault on Brian Hanson, who was mowing two lawns on a St. Petersburg street near Marzola’s smoke shop shortly after 2 p.m.
Marzola, who was bizarrely “wearing a full ‘jester’ costume during the incident and arrest,” pulled the huge dagger from his vehicle and stalked towards a blissfully unaware Hanson, who couldn’t hear the exasperated jester as he approached, according to an arrest affidavit.
The middle-aged clown started “yelling that he cannot be mowing,” even though it was well into the afternoon on a weekday, according to the docs.
Once Hanson saw Marzola’s weapon, he quickly used his lawnmower as a makeshift barrier between himself and the mad fool who continued ranting.
Marzola, who owns the nearby Psychedelic Jester Smoke Shop, didn’t specify why he was wearing the costume in the middle of the day.
He ditched the get-up for his booking photo, instead appearing in a standard orange prison uniform with a solemn look on his face.
The jester was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He was booked in a county jail on $15,000 bond with strict orders to avoid contact with the shaken Hanson.
Florida is seemingly chock full of clowns with a penchant for comedy — and crime.
In April, a man was arrested while he was dressed as the famed McDonald’s mascot Ronald McDonald on trespassing charges at a local shopping plaza that didn’t even feature one of the fast food restaurants.
“You look like a clown,” one of the arresting officers quipped.
“No s–t! I am a clown, stupid,” the suspect retorted, stating the obvious.
Another man who officers in the Sunshine State quickly labeled as an “idiot” was found with a live grenade and a clown mannequin in his trunk — with a side of cocaine and marijuana. He insisted he didn’t know the grenade was remotely dangerous and figured it was a dud after finding it in a veteran’s basement a few years prior.
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