A Key West man was charged this week with three felonies and other misdemeanors after police say he pointed gloves with lasers into their car, almost causing an accident.
John Maximilian Zahner, 40, was charged with three felony charges of misusing a laser device, resisting arrest without violence and misdemeanor charges of providing a false identity to law enforcement, according to local media.
The strange events unfolded Monday around 2:15 a.m. when Zahner allegedly began shining the lasers from his gloves into the patrol vehicles of at least three officers who were driving on Duval Street. The lasers were so bright that one officer reported experiencing temporary blurry vision and nearly hitting the patrol car in front of him. The officers saw Zahner standing in front of Bourbon Street Pub and turned their vehicles around but say he ran back into the bar, according to reporting from news outlets.
A bartender told officers that Zahner was pointing the lights inside the bar as well and was “acting very immaturely.” The officers officers followed Zahner out of the bar where they eventually chased him and used a Taser on him. Officers allege he resisted arrest and they used the Taser a second time.
He was taken to a local hospital for treatment and allegedly used the name of another bartender from the pub.
Zahner was later released from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Key West jail facility Monday evening on an $80,000 bond.
Leesfield & Partners
Road safety is no joke. Monroe County saw 1,401 crashes last year alone with 17 fatalities and 926 injuries. There were approximately 112 bicycle crashes that killed at least four bicyclists and 52 motorcycle crashes in 2023. Of the 34 total pedestrian crashes for that year, four people were killed. This year, there have been 1,348 crashes with five fatalities and 972 injuries in Monroe County.
As a law firm located on historic Whitehead Street in Key West and nearly five decades of experience in the Florida Keys, Leesfield & Partners understands all too well how quickly a car accident can change someone’s life. With a steady influx of car accident claims, our team is dedicated to guiding clients through the aftermath of these unexpected events.
For a bicyclist stopped on the shoulder of the Overseas Highway, a distracted driver changed everything. The driver, who was distracted by the car’s GPS, hit our client, resulting in a
A $5,350,000 settlement was reached on behalf of our client by Founder and Managing Partner, Ira Leesfield.
A case involving the death of our client in a 14-car collision resulted in an over $2.3 million recovery. In that case, a speeding trucker driving in the rain caused the collision, and our client’s death.
Another case, also involving a bicyclist, resulted in a $1.3 million recovery after our client was injured in a hit-and-run on US-1 in the Florida Keys. The under-insured driver veered into the bike lane and left the scene after hitting out client.
The firm secured a $5 million recovery for a client injured in an auto negligence case.
A wrongful death case handled by the firm resulted in a $2.5 million recovery for a grieving family.
A 34-year-old mother of three suffered permanent brain damage after she was run over by a speeding vehicle. The firm obtained a $5.3 million settlement for her injuries.
The firm also represented the families of two people who were hit by a 1985 International truck, towing two trailers that crossed over a median into oncoming traffic. The two were trapped inside the cab of their truck as it caught fire.
Leesfield & Partners secured a $2.7 million award for the families in that case.
A settlement of $1.9 million was secured when a trucker failed to stop at an intersection during a bad rainstorm that cut off power to traffic lights. The driver crashed into our clients, killing the driver and seriously injuring the passenger.
A daughter who watched her mother be crushed and killed by a truck that ran a red light was represented by a Leesfield & partners attorney. The firm secured a $1.4 million award in that case.
If you or a loved one was injured in a motor vehicle accident in Florida, you may be entitled to compensation. To find out more, please call a Leesfield & Partners attorney at 800-836-6400.