Driver Offers Florida Cops Best Explanation For Why He Is Driving With A Concealed Hatchet

A Kentucky man found driving through the Sunshine State with a hatchet hidden in his car told police that he needed the weapon “for protection” from “scum bags in Florida,” according to a court filing.

Travis Byerly, 23, was arrested following a traffic stop last week in Clearwater. Byerly’s license was suspended in April due to a drunk driving conviction in Kentucky, where he lives in the city of Danville.

During the traffic stop, a Clearwater Police Department officer found a “concealed hatchet/axe shoved between the driver’s seat and the door, hidden from sight.” When asked about the weapon, Byerly referred to unnamed Florida scum bags.

Seen above, Byerly was charged with carrying a concealed weapon and driving with a suspended license, both misdemeanors. He was freed from jail after a relative posted $400 bond.

Byerly, whose rap sheet includes multiple arrests, is currently serving a probation term in connection with a 2016 felony conviction for possession of a forged instrument.