NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. – A Samsula man was arrested Tuesday, accused of knifing a person at a Walmart after a fight over a parking space.
New Smyrna Beach police say Michael Brown, 67, confronted a couple who were stopped in the parking lot of the Walmart on State Road 44, yelling that they couldn’t park there. The driver said he told Brown that he was waiting for a parking spot to open.
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However, the couple told police that Brown parked a few spaces away and followed them into the store. Police say Brown exchanged words with the victim, then threatened to kill him.
According the the report, the victim said he told Brown “do it,” and then police say Brown pulled out a pocket knife and swung at the victim’s throat. The victim blocked the knife with his hand, which was sliced.
Police and a Volusia Sheriff’s Office sergeant used video of Brown’s motorcycle and tag number to track him to his address. He was taken into custody without incident and faces charges of aggravated battery and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
The Volusia Sheriff’s Office said Brown was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the 1973 murder of Edgewater resident Vivian Oyler, who was the victim of a murder-for-hire case because of a property dispute. Oyler was the founder of the Southeast Volusia Humane Society.
Brown became eligible for parole after 25 years and was released in 2010.