Florida man allegedly threatened teens with knife, meat cleaver because their go-kart was too loud
06/16/2026 7:00 am PDT
CLERMONT, Fla. (TCN) -- A 60-year-old man was arrested after police say he threatened two teens with a knife and meat cleaver because he thought they were making too much noise working on a go-kart.
On June 8, deputies with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office arrived at a home after receiving a report that two teens had been threatened by a neighbor for making too much noise, WOFL reports.
According to WOFL, the teens, whose names have not been released, were revving the engine of a go-kart to tune the carburetor, and they acknowledged the noise when speaking with deputies.
They alleged a neighbor, Richard Carter, came over to the house as they were working on the go-kart, yelled at them, and then threw a lawn chair at them before picking up a large kitchen knife and a meat cleaver from an outdoor fire pit.
According to arrest affidavit obtained by the outlet, Carter allegedly threatened to bash their heads in if the noise got going again. One of the teens, who was visiting and was not a resident at the home, drove home in a 4-wheeler; his mother said he was so frightened he could hardly speak.
According to the arrest affidavit, one of the teens got on his knees and begged Carter not to hurt him, WESH reports.
WOFL reports that according to Carter, the go-kart noise was an ongoing concern, and he felt that the teens were revving the engine to annoy him. He allegedly said he picked up the knives because they were conveniently located and if something else, such as a wrench, had been available, he would have picked it up as well.
Carter allegedly pulled a gun on a driver in 2021, according to court records obtained by WFTV. The charges were then dropped because Carter completed a pretrial diversion program.
WOFL reports Carter was booked into jail on two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill and granted $10,000 bond the following day. WESH reports Carter is scheduled to appear in court in July.
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