Crime & Police

Naked Tourist Tripping on LSD Tased in Florida Keys

Running into traffic naked almost never ends well, does it? A man visiting the Florida Keys was tased by a Monroe County Sheriff's Officer after he stripped down to nothing, took a jog through oncoming cars, and yelled he was "the King of the World." This apparently came after he...
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Running into traffic naked almost never ends well, does it? A man visiting the Florida Keys was tased by a Monroe County Sheriff’s Officer after he stripped down to nothing, took a jog through oncoming cars, and yelled he was “the King of the World.” This apparently came after he tossed back a few drinks with an LSD chaser. This is at least the third case of naked tasering in South Florida in the past few months.


According to KeysNet, an officer was called to the parking lot of Bobalu’s Restaurant in Big Coppitt Key at 1:30 a.m on Sunday. There he found Richard Gervasi, 43, of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, completely in the nude.

He had apparently been running in and out of traffic on US-1, and also claimed that he was made of steel.

The LSD-addled Gervasi was with two friends, and when police arrived he tried to attack one of them. That’s when the officer pulled his Taser gun, but Gervasi apparently withstood the initial shock and pulled the barbs out of his skin.

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The deputy tased him a second time, and he was temporarily brought down. He was tased yet again when he got up and started walking towards his friends. He was finally handcuffed after the last shot and taken to the hospital before jail.

This is the third incident of naked tasering in South Florida in the past few months. In October a man scuffled with a Department of Environmental Protection officer who had pulled him over in South Dade. During the fight he apparently lost his clothes, but gained the officer’s gun and shot him in the hand. Police arrived and tasered him. Also in October a Melbourne teen was tased after he was caught jogging in the buff.

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