‘I don’t belong here:’ Boca Raton man arrested after striking family’s vehicle with knife, deputies say

Tyler Anthony Ploof, 30, is facing charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and damaging property after being accused of stabbing the tires of an occupied vehicle in Key Largo. (Monroe County Sheriff's Office)

KEY LARGO, Fla. – A 30-year-old Boca Raton man was arrested Wednesday after striking a family’s vehicle multiple times with a knife in Key Largo, deputies said.

Tyler Anthony Ploof is facing charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and damaging property.

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According to Monroe County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Adam Linhardt, a 33-year-old woman and her two young children were sitting inside a vehicle parked at the St. Justin Martyr Catholic Church parking lot around 5 p.m. when an unknown man, later identified as Ploof, pulled up next to them in a black Jeep.

Linhardt said as Ploof exited his vehicle, he began to stab the victims’ passenger door with a fish filet knife for an unknown reason.

Authorities said he caused approximately $1,500 in damages to the vehicle.

Deputies said there were no reported injuries in the incident.

According to Linhardt, the victim asked why he did this as he was leaving the scene and he stated, “I don’t belong here.”

Ploof was stopped in his Jeep on U.S. 1 shortly after and was taken to a nearby jail without incident.


About the Author

Ryan Mackey is a Digital Journalist at WPLG. He was born in Long Island, New York, and has lived in Sunrise, Florida since 1994.

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