Florida Man Charged with Aggravated Battery for Bug Spray Attack at Publix

Daniel John Kenel, a 65-year-old Florida man, was arrested after allegedly attacking a couple with bug spray outside a Publix grocery store in Port Charlotte following a dispute over a checkout line. The incident began when Kenel tried to cut in line in front of a woman waiting for her husband, leading to an argument that escalated as the couple and Kenel placed their items on the checkout belt. The husband intervened, prompting Kenel to leave his cart, move his vehicle across the parking lot, and ambush the couple as they loaded their groceries by spraying bug spray in their faces. The male victim required medical treatment at a local hospital, and Kenel was charged with two counts of aggravated battery with great bodily harm, a second-degree felony. Authorities described the act as unnecessary and dangerous, with Sheriff Bill Prummell urging people to consider whether such confrontations are worth the consequences. The case highlights a troubling escalation from a common grocery store annoyance to a violent assault, underscoring the importance of managing frustrations peacefully.