Florida May Have a Machete Problem: Seven Reported Attacks This Month

After Florida's seventh reported machete attack this month, it may seem as if we may have a few too many Jason Voorhees wannabes here in the Sunshine State.

We don't know what the obsession is with trying to hack up people with a big, sharp stick o' metal, but it's happening.

We'll recap the month's machete attacks for you, including a man nearly chopping off three of his cousin's fingers, a cop attack by machete, and a single July day with three machete attacks -- and we're adding a samurai-sword incident as a bonus:

• July 12

Prince Keith Newton, 28, reportedly went to his cousin's apartment in Largo and proceeded to nearly chop off three of his fingers with a machete.

• July 12

Michael Steven Basile, 50, is said to have swung a machete at his disabled roommate and his roommate's girlfriend in Nokomis, but as his roommate escaped, he resorted to punching the girlfriend. Police say that when he surrendered to police, a hypodermic needle with some sort of drug residue fell out of his pocket

• July 12

Reports say Shannon E. Hawkins, 32, and Carl E. Eichberger, 37, used a machete and kitchen knife to kidnap a woman who was at their apartment in Ocala to buy meth.

• July 18

Tilakdharry Basdeo, 33, reportedly held a family meeting at his Boca Raton home to discuss why his wife had been out so late the night before. He then allegedly took several hacks into his wife's shoulder while their daughter watched, crying.

• July 24

Antonio Cervantes, 43, is said to have chased a woman down a Lake Worth street swinging his machete and reportedly admitted to police he was trying to hit her with it.

• July 25

According to reports, Bradley James Gaus, 26, was shot three times by a sergeant of the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office after Gaus allegedly came after him with a machete, saying, "You are going to have to shoot me."

• July 28

Ana Celly Rodriguez De Jesus, 22, reportedly sliced and bit her 20-year-old ex-boyfriend in West Palm Beach after she claimed the ex-boyfriend had pushed over her 3-year-old daughter.

• Bonus!

Gil Camacho, 49, now faces an attempted murder charge after he reportedly took a samurai sword to her, severely cutting her arms, and said she could feel the sword make contact with her bones.

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