Florida man accused of slashing Publix shopper
Ramsey Thomas Lyons, 47, faces a felony charge of aggravated battery against a person aged 65 or older after an incident at a Publix Super Market in Punta Gorda, Florida, on October 10, 2026, according to police reports.
Lyons allegedly attacked a 70-year-old shopper, using a box cutter just over three months after his probation ended early, following a prior unprovoked assault on a teenager.
The Punta Gorda Police Department stated that Lyons approached David Terry from behind in the store shortly before 4 p.m. Upon feeling a violent blow to his body, Terry turned around to find Lyons holding a box cutter. After realizing he was bleeding from his head, Terry fled to the store’s front.
Officers apprehended Lyons outside the store with his hands on his head, also recovering the box cutter from the aisle. Terry was transported to Fawcett Memorial Hospital with a significant cut extending from his left cheek to his neck, in addition to a minor injury to his chest.
During his arrest, Lyons waived his Miranda rights, sharing that he harbored a deep dislike for the 1960s era and had gone into the store intending to kill someone. He targeted Terry specifically because he believed the man “looked like he was from the 1960s.” Lyons mentioned, “I just pulled it out of my pocket and stuck it in his neck,” as referenced in the affidavit.
This incident reignited concerns from the mother of the teenager Lyons previously assaulted. On March 13, 2025, he punched the 16-year-old at a gas station, leading to his placement in a specialized Mental Health Court diversion program. The mother, Shawna Gentry, expressed her dissatisfaction with how the court handled Lyons’s case, believing he posed a continued threat despite being placed in a diversion program.
Court records show Lyons’s probation was terminated on July 6, 2026, without pushback from state prosecutors, with documents celebrating this as a “Graduation! Congratulations!” which Gentry found peculiar.
Gentry argued that the system did not adequately monitor Lyons after his previous assault and allowed him to go free without a proper mental health treatment plan. Her concerns were magnified when she heard her son express his fears after learning about the recent stabbing.
As of now, Lyons is being held without bond in the Charlotte County Jail, with his arraignment set for November 16 at the Charlotte County Justice Center. It’s reported that he has chosen to go without a public defender, and it’s unclear if he has engaged a private attorney.
