A Minneola man was arrested for battery after allegedly shoving a smoke shop employee during a failed attempt at a refund.
An employee of Misfits Smoke Shop, located at 115 W Broad St., called the police after being shoved by 32-year-old Lukas Charriez around 9:15 p.m. Tuesday, according to an arrest report from the Groveland Police Department. He had been denied a refund and shortly after left the establishment in a gray Dodge Charger.
Units responded to the area and found the vehicle on State Road 19. After being stopped, Charriez advised that he had gone to the smoke shop to buy a vape device. He paid for the item, only to discover it was defective, the report said.
The employee then tried to upsell him a different product instead of giving him a refund. He subsequently left the store and returned to his vehicle, which was parked beside the building. The employee followed him out and photographed his vehicle, prompting a verbal altercation between the two, the report said.
At that point, the employee lifted his shirt, displayed a firearm and said something to the effect of putting Charriez “in a body bag.” He had his hand on the firearm’s grip as he said this. Charriez tried to return to the store to contact law enforcement, but the employee blocked him and shoved him. A passenger in his vehicle corroborated this statement, the report said.
However, surveillance footage showed the employee coming back to the store after taking photos of Charriez’s vehicle. Charriez blocked him and pushed him in the doorway. The employee kept his hand near a firearm in his waistband during this interaction, the report said.
A later check of Charriez’s criminal history revealed two prior battery convictions from Oct. 1, 2019, and July 11, 2014, the report said.
Charriez was arrested on charge of battery (second or subsequent offense). The New York native was booked at the Lake County Jail and released after posting $5,000 bond.