A sunny April afternoon in Surfside, Florida went sideways fast when a 50-year-old man allegedly answered a “no” over a beach chair by grabbing a power drill, threatening to kill a stranger, and earning himself a faceful of Taser prongs. And yes, this isn’t his first beachfront rodeo.
- Yacov Levi, 50, faces felony charges after allegedly charging beachgoers with a drill behind a Collins Avenue condo.
- Police say he drilled a hole into a beach chair, causing about $500 in damage before officers tased him.
- Levi was previously arrested in 2023 for allegedly trying to steal a jet ski while naked.
How a Polite Request Spiraled Into Chaos
The trouble started with what sounds like the most ordinary beach interaction imaginable. Investigators said the incident began when Levi asked the victim to sit in a beach chair, and the victim refused, saying Levi did not live there. The chair, it turns out, was reserved for residents of the Solimar condominium complex along Collins Avenue, where, according to one outlet, properties can range from about $1.3 million to more than $27 million.
That refusal didn’t sit well. Abraham Soto told police that Levi became irate after being informed he could not sit on a chair reserved for residents, then allegedly attempted to strike Soto and charged at him with a drill, muttering, “I’m going to kill you.” Multiple witnesses fled the scene upon seeing Levi wielding the tool.
The Drill, the Auger, and the Police Response
Surfside Police rolled out around 3:56 p.m. on April 29 after a 911 call about a man chasing people with a drill. The scene they walked into was bizarre even by Florida standards. Officers found Levi sitting on a beach chair with a drill that had a large sand-digging bit attached and embedded into the chair, and he refused commands and was handcuffed while still seated.
The tool itself raised eyebrows. Officers observed the drill, which is several feet long with its attachment. Footage of the incident has since circulated online, with some social media users claiming the tool seen was an auger rather than a traditional drill. Either way, the business end was a hefty corkscrew designed to bore holes into the sand for beach umbrellas, not exactly the kind of thing you want pointed at you on a Wednesday afternoon.
Body camera footage captured the standoff. Police bodycam footage shows officers confronting Levi at gunpoint as he sat on one of the chairs that sparked the incident, before another officer warned that he would be tased if he didn’t put his hands up. Officers then deployed a Taser to bring the situation under control. Levi refused to comply and began rolling on the ground, kicking a police officer during attempts to handcuff him.
The Damage and the Charges
Before officers got him in cuffs, the drill did some collateral damage. Authorities said Levi damaged a beach chair belonging to a condominium association, causing about $500 in damage.
The legal fallout stacked up quickly. Levi appeared in Miami-Dade County court on Friday to face felony charges of attempted aggravated battery and battery on a law enforcement officer, along with a misdemeanor count of criminal mischief. Court records suggest prosecutors are treating the drill as a deadly weapon, which carries serious consequences if a conviction sticks.
Not His First Beach Day Behind Bars
The story gets stranger when you check Levi’s history with local cops. Levi had been arrested at the beach before. In 2023, officers arrested him for allegedly trying to steal a jet ski while naked. The case was later dropped. Local 10 published body-camera footage from that separate Miami Beach incident, in which he allegedly attempted to steal a jet ski and faced multiple charges, including aggravated battery on an officer.
So in roughly three years, the same man has allegedly stripped down on two separate occasions at South Florida beaches and tangled with police both times. Body camera footage from NBC affiliate WPLG shows officers pointing weapons at a shirtless Levi seated on a beach chair. One pattern is starting to emerge, and it doesn’t involve sunscreen.
A Cautionary Tale From the Sand
If there’s any practical lesson buried in this strange story, it’s that beach chair etiquette in pricey oceanfront communities can apparently turn dangerous in a hurry. Most condo associations reserve chairs and umbrellas for paying residents, and politely asking is usually the end of the conversation. For Levi, according to police, it was the start of a felony case. He remains in custody pending the outcome of his court proceedings, and the body camera video is now circulating widely online as one of the more unforgettable Surfside arrests in recent memory.