Florida man jailed after allegedly threatening car wash employees with ax
03/12/2026 6:30 pm PDT
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (TCN) -- A man is in jail after allegedly threatening the employees of a car wash with an ax.
According to WCJB, 36-year-old Bryce Thayer arrived at the Tidal Wave Car Wash right at closing time. He was turned away and allegedly became agitated, threatening staff members with an ax.
WTVT reports that 18-year-old car wash employee Leodan Pino said Thayer was behaving strangely from the time he arrived, saying “something along the lines of, ‘Where’s my wife? I can’t find my wife.’” He and another worker pushed Thayer to the ground and got on top of him to take the ax away. They then held him down while they waited for the police to arrive.
According to WJW, Pino is trained in mixed martial arts and recently enlisted in the military.
WCJB reports responding authorities searched Thayer and found a meth pipe. Security footage from the car wash, as well as witness statements, confirmed the workers’ experience, according to WTVT.
According to Action News Jax, Thayer is in jail on $65,000 bond. Jail records obtained by the outlet show he was charged with two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and possession of drug paraphernalia.
MORE:
