​Palm Bay attempted murder suspect seeks 'stand your ground' immunity in parking lot fight

Bar patron nearly killed man with pocket knife, police say

PALM BAY, Fla. – A 40-year-old man leaving a bar Saturday morning cut a man he was fighting with a pocket knife nearly deep enough to kill, Palm Bay police said.

At 2 a.m. outside CrossRoads sports bar, police said Ricky Withrow ran into his ex-girlfriend who was with a group of two men and other woman.

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Police said a verbal altercation preceded fist-fighting and ultimately, Withrow pursued one of the other men and slashed his face with a pocket knife.

Withrow and the man were hospitalized over the weekend.

Then, Withrow turned himself into authorities when a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Tuesday at the Brevard County jail, Withrow was bandaged and black-eyed when he walked with crutches to face a judge.

"He's severely injured. He's on crutches, broken foot, broken nose so there's definitely a self-defense issue in this case," Withrow's attorney Chris Cochran said.

The defense attorney argued for Withrow's bond to be set at $20,000 but the judge assigned him a $100,000 bond.

Withrow is now seeking a "stand your ground" hearing.

"Unfortunately these situations can arise rather quickly which is why Florida has stand your ground," Cochran said. "Mr. Withrow was attacked and he defended himself."

Stick with News 6 and ClickOrlando.com for future updates to this story.


About the Author:

James joined News 6 in March 2016 as the Brevard County Reporter. His arrival was the realization of a three-year effort to return to the state where his career began. James is from Pittsburgh, PA and graduated from Penn State in 2009 with a degree in Broadcast Journalism.

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